title: Knowledge, attitude and practice about malaria in south-western Saudi Arabia: A household-based cross-sectional survey.
abstract: This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) concerning malaria and malaria prevention among rural populations residing in the southwestern region of Saudi Arabia. This was a household-based cross-sectional survey, using structured questionnaire that was developed and distributed among households selected randomly from 19 villages (clusters) located in a southwestern region of Saudi Arabia, north of the border with Yemen. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 20. A majority of respondents (98.4%) reported that they had heard about malaria, but only 21.7% reported that they had sufficient information about the disease. Surprisingly, the most popular source of information was the internet and social media (proportion responding positively in parenthesis) (25.5%), followed by family (21.7%), while information from health facilities contributed only 12.4%. A majority of respondents were aware that malaria is a communicable (89.1%) and deadly (70%) disease; however, only 30.2% of the respondents responded that malaria is a treatable disease. Almost all of the aware respondents (97.5%) were inclined to seek treatment from health facilities, and 63.2% preferred to seek treatment within 24h of presenting with symptoms. Regarding personal precautions, the most common practice adopted by respondents was indoor residual spraying IRS (47.3%), followed by anti-mosquito spraying (29.8%), mosquito bed nets (13.2%) and combined anti-mosquito sprays and nets on windows (4.7%). This KAP study did not show any statistically significant differences in KAP due to age; however the practices of preventive measures against malaria differed significantly by nationality (Saudi versus non-Saudi). We conclude that most populations living in the villages have an acceptable level of knowledge and awareness about malaria and seek timely treatment. However, the positive attitudes and practices in relation to personal protection and prevention measures against malaria require marked improvement. The obvious gap between the knowledge and practice related to malaria prevention requires innovative strategies based on local evidence that well suits the local circumstances to promote and encourage the adoption and practice of personal protective measures.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, King AbdulAziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: drsami2009@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khairy
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud Bin AbdulAziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Primary Care and Public Health Department, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, UK. Electronic address: kalsurimi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Al-Surimi
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud Bin AbdulAziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: ana.nayani@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: Hussam-0-2@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Hussam M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Shubily
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Emergency Department, National Guard Hospital, King AbdulAziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; College of Medicine, King Saud Bin AbdulAziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: nwallanfrb@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nisreen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Al Walaan
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud Bin AbdulAziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mowafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Househ
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud Bin AbdulAziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Tampere School for Public Health, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland. Electronic address: elmetwally.ashraf@outlook.com.
authors.forename: Ashraf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El-Metwally
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria; D008297:Male; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP); Malaria; Saudi Arabia