The Relationship between Response Behaviour of Community against General Preventive Practices for Malaria Elimination, Mosquito Bite and Malaria Cases in Mimika Regency: The Study in Timika Jaya Community Health Centre

Background: Malaria is targeted for elimination by 2030. Papua, which accounts for the majority of malaria cases in Indonesia, is one of the five priority regions for elimination. However, numerous challenges remain in this area. Mimika Regency is among the top five regencies in Papua with the highest malaria burden. Despite there is the implementation and promotion of malaria prevention strategy by local health authorities, the malaria cases remains high. Malaria transmission conditions vary across regions and national or provincial assessments may not capture local dynamics due to data limitations, investigating community response behaviour particularly toward mosquito bite prevention is essential. Objectives: The study investigated the community response behaviour particularly toward mosquito bite prevention which has been socialized in Mimika. Methods: This study employed an observational analytic case-control design, conducted at the Timika Jaya Community Health Centre. Participants were divided into two groups: malaria and non-malaria, with minimal 44 subjects in each group selected via consecutive sampling. Eligible participants were aged 18–59 years, fully conscious, non-pregnant, free from mental illness, and provided informed consent. Malaria diagnosis was confirmed via blood smear or rapid diagnostic test. Individuals in the control group had not experienced malaria within the past six months. Ten specific response behaviours related to mosquito bite prevention were assessed, along with an overall behaviour score. Data were analysed using the Chi-square test, continued by multivariate logistic regression analysis with a significance level of p ≤ 0.05 to determine crude and adjusted odds ratios. Results: The results showed that overall preventive behaviour was significantly associated with reduced malaria cases (p < 0.05). Other individual behaviours did not show a statistically significant effect (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that while individual actions may offer limited protection, a combination of multiple preventive behaviours can substantially reduce malaria risk. Conclusion: Enhancing community compliance with all aspects of the local malaria elimination strategy is crucial. Continued community education is also essential to ensure proper understanding and sustained participation. The existence of resistance to insecticides also needs to be considered.