Malaria intermittent preventive treatment in Nigeria: a qualitative study to explore barriers

BACKGROUND: While the use of sulphadoxine pyrimethamine (SP) is effective in preventing malaria infection during pregnancy, there are challenges limiting its uptake in Nigeria. This study aimed at exploring the barriers to IPTp usage among pregnant women in Kano state - Nigeria. METHODS: This is a qualitative study. The purposive sampling strategy was used for identification and selection of 14 key informants for interviews. In addition, six focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with pregnant women (3 FGDs) and married men (3 FGDs). The conventional content analysis method was used to interpret meaning from the content of the data. MAXQDA 10 software was used for data management and analysis. RESULTS: Poor policy implementation, poor antenatal care attendance, inadequate access to intermittent preventive treatment at the community levels, lack of sustainable funding, and poor community engagement emerged as major barriers to IPTp use in Nigeria. CONCLUSION: While the political will to allocate sufficient financial resources could help improve service delivery and IPTp usage among pregnant women, community participation is critical to sustain the gains.