What does this research mean for the field?

Although malaria awareness is high in Jozini, South Africa, persistent misconceptions, inconsistent prevention practices, and healthcare operational challenges necessitate targeted Social Behavioural Change Communication interventions to achieve elimination goals. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to explore community and healthcare worker perceptions on malaria prevention to inform behavior change strategies in Jozini.

May 29, 2026Open Access

Community and healthcare worker contributions to malaria prevention: a culturally tailored behaviour change approach in Jozini, South Africa

Key Points

This research aims to explore community and healthcare worker perceptions on malaria prevention to inform behavior change strategies in Jozini.
Conducted a cross-sectional mixed-method study in six communities and healthcare facilities in Jozini, KwaZulu-Natal, during 2025.
Administered structured questionnaires to 384 community participants and performed semi-structured interviews with 15 healthcare workers.
Analyzed quantitative data using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and thematic analysis for qualitative responses.
Community awareness of malaria was high (96% awareness, 79% positive attitudes), with significant knowledge associated with age (χ 2 = 9.61, p = 0.01).
Healthcare workers showed strong malaria knowledge but faced challenges like irregular training and resource shortages.
Identified barriers such as poverty and cultural beliefs affecting the consistency of preventive practices.

Abstract

Abstract Background According to the national strategic plan, South Africa aims to eliminate malaria by 2030. Only three out of 9 provinces are malaria endemic. These are Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the north–eastern parts of KwaZulu-Natal provinces. It is important to investigate community and healthcare worker perceptions regarding malaria prevention, control and elimination interventions to enable development of a Social Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) strategy for Jozini local municipality to complement the National Strategic Plan 2025–2030. Methods A cross-sectional mixed-method study was conducted in six communities and their respective healthcare facilities in Jozini local municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, during 2025. A structured questionnaire was administered to 384 community participants using a systematic household sampling. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 healthcare workers selected purposively. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square (χ 2 ) tests (p 0.05). Healthcare workers showed strong technical knowledge of malaria transmission and prevention, and most reported involvement in diagnosis, treatment, and community outreach activities. However, qualitative findings highlight challenges related to irregular training, staffing gaps, and shortages of diagnostic tools and commodities. Conclusions The study found that although awareness of malaria is generally high in Jozini local municipality, misconceptions and inconsistent prevention practices remain. Community health workers are key information sources, but barriers such as poverty, cultural beliefs, and limited resources affect prevention efforts. Healthcare providers are knowledgeable but face operational challenges. These findings underscore the need for targeted SBCC interventions to support malaria control under South Africa’s NSP 2025–2030.

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Cite This Study

Baloyi et al. (Wed,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a192ee7fab5b468c4418296 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-026-05943-8

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