WED-080 - Evaluating Malaria Mastery: Advancing Knowledge and Preventive Health Behaviors in Rural Villages

Brief Abstract Summary: As a leading cause of death in Uganda finding ways to improve malaria prevention in under-resourced communities remains a public health priority. The Malaria Mastery Program was designed to reduce the burden of malaria through community driven education-based programming. The program includes three 1-hour lessons on malaria transmission, net maintenance, and alternatives ways to prevent mosquito bites. Convenience sampling was used, thus sample size varied by lesson and village. Learn how effective the Malaria Mastery health education program was at changing knowledge, attitudes, and confidence levels in these key areas. Participant characteristics and pre-post-test responses were summarized. Data from the non-experimental pre-post-test evaluation design was analyzed to compare pre-post-test scores for each lesson and across lessons. Lessons learned and how they were addressed will be discussed. Implications for practice and future research will also be discussed.

Detailed abstract description: Malaria remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Uganda. Uganda has the 3rd highest burden of malaria worldwide, intensified by poverty, rural location, and limited health resources, making community-driven solutions essential. The program was implemented in four villages in rural central Uganda, an area considered to have low malaria transmission, resulting in fewer resources for community level malaria prevention. Using a non-experimental pre-post-test evaluation design, this presentation highlights the evaluation findings for the Malaria Mastery program, a community-driven intervention in central rural Uganda designed to increase knowledge and change malaria prevention behaviors.
The community driven program was co-developed by a Community Advisory Group, which included village health workers, the village leaders, faculty from Universities in Uganda and the United States, and undergraduate public health students. Delivered through three, one-hour long, interactive sessions blending lectures, cooperative learning, and games, the program addressed malaria transmission knowledge, mosquito net maintenance, prevention strategies beyond net use, and the importance of testing within 24 hours of symptom development. The program was delivered by international teams of trained undergraduate public health and community development students. The data collection instruments were available in English and Luganda, based on the participant’s preferred language. Research assistants who speak both languages were available to assist participants who wanted assistance completing the paper forms.
Descriptive statistics were run to summarize participant characteristics. Convenience sampling was used, thus the sample varied by lesson and village. The sample for each lesson is reported. Pre and post-test data for each lesson were compared to identify changes in knowledge, attitudes and practices using dependent t-tests to test for significance. Comparisons were conducted between individuals who attended one lesson versus those who attended two or more. The discussion will include how community-university collaborations and community-driven approaches to program development can foster effective, culturally relevant, sustainable solutions to improve health and lessons learned. Strengths and limitations will be identified and recommendations for the program will be made based on the evaluation results.