Knowledge and practice of malaria prevention among caregivers of children with malaria admitted to a teaching hospital in Ghana

ObjectiveTo assess the knowledge and practice of malaria prevention among caregivers of children admitted to a teaching hospital in Ghana.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted on caregivers of children who were hospitalized at the paediatric wards of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital from March 2009 to June 2009. Data were analysed using StataTM version 8.2.ResultsNearly all caregivers (97.1%) had heard of malaria. Of this proportion, 89.7% knew mosquito bite as a cause of malaria. The proportion of caregivers who were able to recognise the signs and symptoms of malaria were 87.6% (for fever), 47.1% (for vomiting) and 28.1% (for headache). Radio and television were the major sources of information about malaria.ConclusionsCaregivers of children have adequate knowledge about malaria and its mode of transmission. Further education on the implementation of the preventive methods is still needed to help reduce the incidence of malaria among children.