Malaria self medications and choices of drugs for its treatment among residents of a malaria endemic community in West Africa

To assess people's knowledge about malaria treatment which is one of the main components of the roll back malaria (RBM) programme instituted on the African Continent with the aim of bringing the disease under control. The cross-sectional study was carried out between October and December 2009, involving 3 171 adult women who were selected from households using systematic sampling methods. Quantitative information such as age, educational level, marital status, occupation, number of children and knowledge of malaria were obtained using structured and semi-structured questionnaires, while qualitative information was obtained using focussed and in-depth group discussions to complement quantitative data. The modes of approach to malaria treatment were 41.1% (1 302), 36.0% (1 143), 10.7% (339) and 0.5% (15) would attend hospital/clinic, buy drugs from pharmacy/chemist shop, take traditional herbs, and take no action respectively. Factors that were found to increase the level of knowledge about antimalarial drugs among the respondents were increasing educational level, being married compared to singles, having children and increasing family income (P< 0.05), while occupation and age differences had no contributory factors (P> 0.05). Knowledge about artemisinin combined therapy (ACT) was less than 15% similar with intermittent preventive treatment (IPT); home-based management for malaria (HBMM) was not in place. The drug component of the RBM programme in the community should be reviewed and appropriate amends instituted in order to ensure efficiency of the overall malaria control programme in the community.