Background: Malaria remains a significant global health threat, with Africa bearing the highest burden. Pregnant women in Nigeria are particularly vulnerable due to the country's high malaria prevalence.
Objectives: The study examined the knowledge and utilisation of Malaria prevention strategies by pregnant women attending some selected primary health centres (PHCs) in Borno State, Nigeria.
Subjects and methods: The study was conducted using a cross-sectional descriptive survey in two local government areas: Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere, in Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria. Furthermore, Fisher's formula determined the sample size, and data were collected from 407 pregnant women using a questionnaire recruited through a multistage Sampling. Finally, IBM SPSS version 27 statistical software was used for data analysis.
Results: The mean age ± standard deviation of 26 ± 4.08, and most (80.8%) of pregnant women have good knowledge of malaria prevention. The utilisation of malaria prevention strategies was low, with 79.1% showing an overall poor usage. 60.9% reported using long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, 20.6% had never used larval source management. 54.8% of the respondents were in their second trimester. Knowledge of malaria prevention was associated with the trimester of pregnancy (P = 0.0044), gravidity (P = 0.019) and education (P = 0.001). However, no relationship was found between maternal religion and knowledge of malaria prevention (P = 1.000).
Conclusions: Although pregnant women are aware of malaria prevention methods, there is a gap in their effective utilisation. To address this, targeted health education, intersectoral collaboration and supportive monitoring at PHC and community levels are recommended.
Keywords: Cross-sectional studies; Nigeria; global health; malaria; pregnant women.
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