ABSTRACT
Background: In tropical and subtropical areas of the globe, malaria in pregnancy offers a great risk to pregnant women, their fetuses, and their newborns. Pregnant mothers have the propensity and at risk of mortality from a malaria attack. Pregnant women with malaria often face severe complications associated with malaria. This study assesses knowledge, attitude and IPTp uptake among expectant mothers at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital in Uyo, Nigeria.
Methodology: The study was a cross-sectional study done among 327 participants with interviewer administered questionnaire for data collection. The data so collected was fed into SPSS version 24 software for analysis. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Port Harcourt School of Public Health, permission was gotten for University of Uyo Teaching Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.
Results: A total of 327 respondents participated in the study. The majority of respondents, 237 (79%), have knowledge of what IPTp is. On availability, 52% claimed that the IPTp drug is always available in the health facility, but when out of stock, pregnant women demonstrated a good attitude to visit other locations to be given the SP. The majority of respondents (49.0%) have the age of their pregnancy between 7-9 months. While most started ANC within that period, more than 4 months affected 185 (61.7%) and so affected the normal absorption of IPTp at the health facility. 228 (76%) have collaborated with the uptake of IPTp in the institution since the ANC. 35.7% of responses said that IPTp was taken in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. A total of 32 (10.7%) respondents indicated that they had challenges of one sort or another in the intake of IPTp. While the majority of them identified miscarriage and low birth weight (31.3% and 28.3%) respectively) as serious concerns. The majority of respondents (99%) claimed that they were not observed by healthcare personnel while taking IPTp. The attitude of health care personnel and the unavailability of clean water were the top reasons respondents claimed not to take IPTp utilizing the DOT approach.
Conclusion: The majority of respondents have knowledge of (IPTp) but do not understand the significance of early visits to antenatal clinics, early booking at ANC, or the importance of taking IPTp medication and completing the proper dose. The non-availability of water in the clinic was a great challenge in explaining why IPTp is not being taken as Directly Observed Therapy, hence, there is a need for health facilities to give clean water and cups to ANC clinics, as this gesture will promote accurate intake of SP in the clinic. IPTp uptake can be maximized if pregnant women receive health education and ANC early
Cite this Article: Mark, A. & Etim, D. Knowledge, Attitude and Uptake of Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria among Pregnant Women attending Antenatal Clinic at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Global Professionals Multidisciplinary Practices Journal, 2024, Vol.1, p 21-40
DOWNLOAD FULL DOCUMENT
