ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE OF MALARIA PREVENTION STRATEGIES AMONG MOTHERS OF UNDER-FIVE CHILDREN IN NORTH CENTRAL ZONE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the knowledge of malaria prevention strategies among mothers of
under-five children in North Central Zone, Nigeria. To achieve this purpose, an ex-post-facto research
design was used. A total sample of 768 mothers of under-five children in the North-central zone, Nigeria
from a population of 3,641,445 was selected through multi-stage sampling procedures of simple
random sampling and proportionate sampling. The instrument used for the study was the researcher’s
structured questionnaire which was pilot tested using Cronbach Alpha reliability. Inferential statistics
of a one-sample t-test was used to test the formulated hypothesis at a 0.05 level of significance. The
result revealed that knowledge of malaria prevention strategies among mothers of under-five children
in the north-central zone, Nigeria was significant (p = 0.001). Based on the result it was concluded that
mothers of under-five children have knowledge of malaria prevention strategies. Based on the
conclusion, it was recommended that health educators should carry out awareness campaigns through
rendering health talks which would help to further sustain the already existing knowledge of malaria
prevention strategies among the mothers of under-five children in North-Central Zone, Nigeria.