Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of mothers regarding childhood malaria in southeastern Gabon

BACKGROUND: In Gabon, children under 5 years of age and pregnant women are the populations who are most at risk of malaria. Despite the presence of accessible health facilities, the community-based management of childhood fever remains a very common practice in Gabon, which may have serious consequences on child health. As such, the objective of this descriptive cross-sectional survey is to assess the mothers’ perception and knowledge of malaria and its severity. METHODS: Different households were selected using the simple random sampling method. RESULTS: A total of 146 mothers from different households were interviewed in the city of Franceville, in southern Gabon. Among the households interviewed, 75.3% had a low monthly income (below the minimum monthly income of $272.73). Among the respondents, 98.6% of mothers had heard of malaria and 55.5% had heard of severe malaria. Regarding preventive measures, 83.6% of mothers used an insecticide-treated net as a means of protection. Self-medication was practiced by 68.5% of women (100/146). DISCUSSION: The use of health facilities was motivated by better care, the decision of the head of the family, but above all by the severity of the disease. Women identified fever as the main symptom of malaria, which could be beneficial for a quicker and more efficient management of the disease in children. Malaria educational campaigns should also increase awareness of severe forms of malaria and its manifestations. This study shows that Gabonese mothers react quickly when their children have fever. However, several external factors lead them to practice self-medication as a first resort. In this survey population, the practice of self-medication did not depend on social status, marital status, level of education, on the young age or inexperience of mothers (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The data revealed that mothers may underestimate severe malaria and delay medical care by self-medicating, which can have detrimental effects for children and hinder the regression of the disease.