Acceptability of Intermittent Screening and Treatment (IST) versus Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPT) for the control of malaria in pregnancy: perspective of the Nigerian pregnant woman

Abstract

This study qualitatively compared the acceptability of intermittent preventive therapy with an alternative intervention intermittent screening and treatment for prevention of malaria in pregnancy (MiP) among postpartum women in Edo State, Nigeria. Four focused group discussions were held with postpartum women who participated in a multi-center clinical trial that compared intermittent preventive therapy and intermittent screening and treatment for malaria in pregnancy between 2014 and 2015. The focus group discussions were guided by semi-structured open ended questions covering topics related to their experiences and choice of either interventions. Discussions were analyzed inductively based on emerged themes. Intermittent screening and treatment was most preferred and acceptable by the study participants compared to the intermittent preventive treatment approached. The quest to know their health status through the investigations was a motivation for their choice of the intervention. The rejection of intermittent preventive therapy was due to the general fear of medication use during pregnancy without apparent indication considering the side effects experienced with SP-based intermittent preventive therapy by women who considered themselves healthy. A properly designed and implemented intermittent screening and treatment programme could therefore be more effective in reducing the burden of malaria in pregnancy in the country.