Effective communication to support attitudinal and associated behavioural change to decrease the transmission of malaria

Abstract

Malaria affects almost a quarter of a billion people worldwide, with 4% of all cases occurring in Mozambique, and the entire population being at risk. There is a strong focus on malaria prevention interventions to reduce transmission. However, for the most part, these interventions correspond to material aid, either through medication or insecticide treated mosquito nets. Through initiatives such as the High Burden High Impact response, there has been a recent push for communication strategies that use information to drive change. This project was developed under this frame of thought, using strategic information for a community wide decrease in malaria transmission. The project was carried out on the ground in Vilankulos, Mozambique.The results from this project highlight key areas where knowledge is lacking, mosquito net care and malaria in pregnancy and infancy, and attempted to fill these gaps. An intervention was designed, consisting of an oral presentation, accompanied by a visual poster with diagrams to illustrate the key concepts. Evaluation of the intervention shows that knowledge surrounding mosquito net care increased by 90%, and knowledge about malaria in pregnancy and infancy had a 24% and 14% increase, respectively. The results are promising as this increase in knowledge is key to create an attitudinal change, and behavioural change.