KNOWLEDGE, PRACTICE FOR MALARIA CONTROL AND SOME RELATED FACTORS AMONG FOREST GOERS IN FOUR PROVINCES, VIETNAM 2023

Abstract

Study “Knowledge, practice for malaria control and some related factors among forest goers in four provinces, Vietnam 2023” was conducted from January 2023 to December 2023 with two following objectives: (1) Describe the current status of knowledge and practices on malaria prevention in four high-risk provinces: Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, and Binh Phuoc in 2023; (2) Analyze some factors related to knowledge and practices on malaria prevention in four high-risk provinces: Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, and Binh Phuoc in 2023; A cross-sectional study used a validated questionnaire to survey 696 foresters in 12 communes in 4 provinces including Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, and Binh Phuoc. Data collectors were commune health station staff, a multi-stage sampling at the province - district - commune level, selecting households with forest goers to interview directly and fill in the information in Kobo Toolbox software. Throughout the survey, the researcher directly and indirectly supervised the process. Data were managed and analyzed with Stata 16.0 software. Quantitative variables were described using mean values (standard deviations), while qualitative variables were described using frequency and percentages (%). Logistic regression analysis was used to find factors related to research participants' knowledge, and practice (p < 0.05). Research findings show that 78.6% of forest goers had good knowledge about malaria prevention. When interviewing people with malaria, 54.6% had good practice of malaria treatment, and 33.3% reported following treatment instructions exactly. Multivariate analysis revealed a relationship between malaria prevention knowledge and factors such as age group, education level, income, receiving malaria prevention information, and the study subjects' occupation. Good malaria prevention practice is associated with factors such as gender, ethnicity, religion, education, health insurance, occupation, monthly work frequency, and correct malaria prevention knowledge. The study recommends that commune health stations create communication programs with relevant content and use effective media. People should actively learn and improve their knowledge of malaria, bring necessary items such as mosquito nets/hammocks, protective gear, mosquito repellent cream... when going to the forest or staying overnight in the forest/farm, wear long clothes, limit bathing, and get water from forest streams at night when staying overnight in the forest. When you notice symptoms of illness or are traveling from high-risk malaria areas, go to a medical facility right away to be examined and treated.