ABSTRACT
Home management and treatment seeking behaviours of malaria was assessed among parents of 905 under five years children from 183 rural communities in 8 Local Government Areas (LGAs). Ethical approvals were obtained in addition to interactive sessions with parents and structured questionnaires were administered to the parents. Data obtained were analyzed using SPSS version 20 to assess association with p-value of < 0.05. A significant (p < 0.05) relationship observed between socio-economic factors and treatment seeking behaviours and preventive measures. There was no significant (p = 0.614) difference between symptoms observed in children across the LGAs. There was no significant (p = 0.061, p = 0.059, p = 0.071) relationship between parents demographic characteristics (age, sex and ethnicity) and preventive measures while educational status has a significant (p = 0.043) relationship. There was a significant (p = 0.042, p = 0.021) relationship between occupation and monthly income and preventive measures. Educational status was significantly (p = 0.013) related to knowledge on malaria while monthly income was not significantly (p = 0.201) related. Also there was a significant (p = 0.000 and p = 0.000) relationship between both educational status and monthly income and treatment seeking behaviours and are positively correlated (r = +0.101 and r = +0.136). Effectiveness of home management of malaria (HMM) and treatment seeking behaviours is challenged by the prevailing socio-cultural and economic issues.
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