Caregivers’ Knowledge and Perceptions of the Malaria Vaccine in the Southwest Region of Nigeria

Abstract

Malaria remains one of the most significant public health challenges globally, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. This study aims to assess knowledge and perception of malaria vaccine of care givers with under-five year old children in the southwest region of Nigeria. There by providing evidence-based insights and information to the public. The study assessed the level of knowledge about the malaria vaccine among the respondents in Southwest region of Nigeria. Evaluate the attitudes and perceptions towards malaria vaccines among the respondents. Determine the willingness of the respondents to give their under-five year old children the malaria vaccine; and factors influencing the respondents’ willingness to give the malaria vaccine to their five-year-old children. Ondo State, located in the south-western region of Nigeria, presents a unique context for understanding malaria transmission dynamics with a population of approximately 4 million people. The population of the study constitutes the members of the community in Ilaje LGA of Ondo State. The sample size was obtained using formula for a cross-sectional descriptive study, estimating the proportion of respondents with the knowledge and perception of malaria vaccine. A multistage sampling technique was used to select an LGA, communities, and households for the study. A positive constant (0.686) implies that there is a tendency for the respondents to be willing to take the malaria vaccine. This implies that the odds of being willing to take the vaccine were 1.985 times the odds of being unwilling in the absence of other variables and is highly significant. The intercept is significantly different from zero, meaning that there is a statistically significant tendency toward being willing even without any predictor variables. The factors influencing the respondents’ willingness to accept the malaria vaccine in the logistic regression model were positive attitude toward the malaria vaccine, level of education (no education), and respondents in the upland and riverine communities were significant predictors of willingness to accept the malaria vaccine. The perception of the respondent on their willingness to accept malaria vaccines was significant at 10%. In conclusion caregivers’ knowledge and perception of the malaria vaccine significantly influence its acceptance and successful implementation. Strengthening community health education, improving communication strategies, and ensuring consistent engagement between caregivers and health professionals are essential for improving malaria vaccine uptake.