Knowledge and utilization of malaria preventive measures among pregnant women at a tertiary hospital in Nigeria's federal capital territory.

OBJECTIVE To determine the knowledge and utilization of malaria preventive measures as well as barriers to the utilization of these measures by pregnant women. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was a prospective cross-sectional survey involving pregnant women at the booking clinic of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital between May and August 2010. Close-ended pre-tested structured questionnaires were administered by interviewer method to 403 consecutive consenting women. RESULTS The knowledge of malaria and its preventive measures in pregnancy was 71.5%. There was a statistically significant association between knowledge of malaria and educational status (X2 = 16.053, P = 0.035). Intermittent preventive treatment was used by 15.9% of the respondents. Insecticide-treated net ownership was 42.6%; however, its use declined from 28.5% before pregnancy to 24.6% during pregnancy. CONCLUSION There is adequate knowledge about malaria and its preventive measures in pregnancy, but the utilization of these measures is poor. There is need for concerted efforts at addressing the barriers to utilization of these effective interventions.