Management of malaria in pregnancy by Traditional Birth Attendants in Ogun State, Nigeria

Background: Malaria in pregnancy is a major public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa. Most deliveries in this region are attended by the Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs). Objective: To assess the knowledge and practice of prevention and treatment of malaria in pregnancy amongst TBAs in Ogun State, south-west Nigeria. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study used systematic random sampling to select 200 registered TBAs within the state. Pre-tested, semi-structured interviewer-based questionnaires were used to obtain relevant data. Results: The m ean age of respondents was 37.7 ± 2.2 years. Most of the respondents had secondary school education (82.0%) and were females (89.0%). The majority (68.0%) had good knowledge of malaria during pregnancy; 83.0% used blood test for the diagnosis of malaria while 62.2% of these used Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test kits. A third of the respondents (33.0%) used Artemisinin-Combination Therapy for treatment while 13.0% used Chloroquine. The majority (85.5%) of the respondents did not practice directly observed therapy in intermittent preventive treatment for malaria using Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP). The age of the respondents was significantly associated with their level of knowledge (p = 0.019). Conclusion: The TBAs had high level of knowledge and good practice of the management of malaria in pregnancy. However, some still treated malaria with Chloroquine and were not conversant with the use of SP for the prevention of malaria. It is recommended that capacity building sessions for the TBAs be instituted to improve the quality of care they provide.

[1]  L. Maliwichi,et al.  Role of Traditional Birth Attendants in Maternal Health: Trends of Antenatal Consultations in Traditional Authority Nkanda, Mulanje District (Southern Malawi) , 2016 .

[2]  J. Tarning.  Treatment of Malaria in Pregnancy. , 2016, The New England journal of medicine.

[3]  E. Oluwole,et al.  Malaria prevention in pregnancy among traditional birth attendants in rural Lagos, Nigeria , 2016 .

[4]  J. Gunn,et al.  Population-based prevalence of malaria among pregnant women in Enugu State, Nigeria: the Healthy Beginning Initiative , 2015, Malaria Journal.

[5]  U. Dalrymple,et al.  The effect of malaria control on Plasmodium falciparum in Africa between 2000 and 2015 , 2015, Nature.

[6]  G. Bassey,et al.  Prevalence of placenta Plasmodium parasitemia and pregnancy outcome in asymptomatic patients at delivery in a university teaching hospital in Nigeria. , 2015, Nigerian journal of clinical practice.

[7]  N. R. van den Broek,et al.  Changing the role of the traditional birth attendant in Somaliland , 2014, International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.

[8]  Peter Rohloff,et al.  The changing role of indigenous lay midwives in Guatemala: new frameworks for analysis. , 2013, Midwifery.

[9]  F. T. Ter Kuile,et al.  Factors Affecting the Delivery, Access, and Use of Interventions to Prevent Malaria in Pregnancy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis , 2013, PLoS medicine.

[10]  Sayem Ahmed,et al.  Socio-demographic Factors Associated with Home Delivery Assisted by Untrained Traditional Birth Attendant in Rural Bangladesh , 2013 .

[11]  H. Halwindi,et al.  Factors influencing utilization of intermittent presumptive treatment of malaria (IPTP) services by pregnant women in Sesheke district of western province Zambia , 2013 .

[12]  O. Ebuehi,et al.  Perception and utilization of traditional birth attendants by pregnant women attending primary health care clinics in a rural Local Government Area in Ogun State, Nigeria , 2012, International journal of women's health.

[13]  S. Adebayo,et al.  Determinants of insecticide-treated net ownership and utilization among pregnant women in Nigeria , 2012, BMC Public Health.

[14]  T. Rowen,et al.  Evaluation of a traditional birth attendant training programme in Bangladesh. , 2011, Midwifery.

[15]  J. Amzat.  Assessing the progress of malaria control in Nigeria. , 2011, World health & population.

[16]  Christiana R Titaley,et al.  Why do some women still prefer traditional birth attendants and home delivery?: a qualitative study on delivery care services in West Java Province, Indonesia , 2010, BMC pregnancy and childbirth.

[17]  J. Lawn,et al.  Sub-Saharan Africa's Mothers, Newborns, and Children: Where and Why Do They Die? , 2010, PLoS medicine.

[18]  J. Katz,et al.  Potential Role of Traditional Birth Attendants in Neonatal Healthcare in Rural Southern Nepal , 2009, Journal of health, population, and nutrition.

[19]  C. Uneke.  Impact of Placental Plasmodium falciparum Malaria on Pregnancy and Perinatal Outcome in Sub-Saharan Africa , 2007, The Yale journal of biology and medicine.

[20]  Carolyn M. Brown,et al.  Traditional birth attendant training for improving health behaviours and pregnancy outcomes. , 2007, The Cochrane database of systematic reviews.

[21]  U. d’Alessandro,et al.  Malaria in pregnancy. , 2013, Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology.

[22]  C. Menéndez,et al.  The effects of iron supplementation during pregnancy, given by traditional birth attendants, on the prevalence of anaemia and malaria. , 1994, Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

[23]  R. Snow,et al.  The effects of malaria chemoprophylaxis given by traditional birth attendants on the course and outcome of pregnancy. , 1989, Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.