Uptake of Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria Among Pregnant Women Attending Selected Primary Healthcare Centers in Ogun State, Nigeria

Background: Malaria in pregnancy is a major public health concern and one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality which poses intrauterine and maternal complications during pregnancy. This study assessed the uptake of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria among pregnant women attending primary health care centers in Ikenne Local Government Area. Methods: A quantitative descriptive survey design was employed for this study; researcher-structured questionnaires were used for data collection and a multi-stage sampling technique was used to select one hundred and fifty-one mothers from the primary health centers. Result: It showed that the majority (62.5%) of the participants had average knowledge of malaria in pregnancy, and 54.6% of the participants utilized IPTP. The study found no significant relationship between respondents’ knowledge of malaria in pregnancy and the uptake of IPTP (p-value = 0.888>0.05). Moreso, findings revealed no significant relationship between the time of antenatal initiation and the uptake of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy p-value = 0.281>0.05 (1, X2 = 1.163). In the same vein, no significant relationship was further revealed between the level of education and the uptake of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy p-value = 0.842>0.05 (1, X2 = 0.040). Conclusion: Generally, in Nigeria, the uptake of intermittent preventive treatment for malaria is still low irrespective of the level of the mother's knowledge. Therefore, an increase in awareness and education of women on IPTp with direct observation under uptake was hereby recommended.