Delivery of Improved Services for Health (DISH) II Project

This report describes research conducted in response to a Uganda Ministry of Health / United States Agency for International Development (USAID) request to design a communication strategy in support of Uganda's "National strategy for Home Based Management of Fever/Malaria in Children Under Five and Pregnant Women."



The research methodology included focus group discussions and key informant interviews conducted in 6 districts in Uganda in 2001. These surveys were designed to "deepen the understanding of the gaps in knowledge, attitudes, practices, fears and beliefs [KAPBF] about malaria management among children under
five and pregnant women." The introduction to this report lists the specific research objectives as:

• identify myths and misconceptions about management of malaria in children under five and in pregnant women.
• identify KAPBF about home management of malaria among children under five.
• identify KAPBF about home management of malaria among pregnant women.
• determine motivating and de-motivating factors in parents seeking treatment of malaria for children under five, and in prevention and treatment of malaria in pregnant women.
• suggest appropriate recommendations that would assist in the designing of a communication strategy.

The report identifies both significant gaps in KAPBF regarding home management of malaria, and a series of recommendations for how communication strategies can fill those gaps. Recommendations drawn from the childhood and pregnancy surveys include:

• Using local terminologies for fever and malaria
• Raising awareness about the danger signs of malaria
• Focusing communication channels directed at men on malaria control messages
• Emphasising the need for prompt and effective treatment
• Utilising community drug vendors as a special channel of communication (specific to childhood survey)
• Distributing Ministry of Health policy treatment guidelines to all health workers (specific to pregnancy survey)
• Popularising the Ministry of Health policy on Intermittent Presumptive Treatment (IPT) and providing an enabling environment for its execution (specific to pregnancy survey)

The Delivery of Improved Services for Health (DISH) II Project website, February 2 2005.