Malaria Prevention Knowledge and Practices Among Mothers of Under 5 Children in Rural Southern Haryana, India

Background Children under 5 years of age are the most vulnerable group affected by malaria. Mother is the primary caretaker of children. This study was conducted to estimate the knowledge and practices regarding prevention of malaria among mothers of under 5 children Methods It is a community based cross sectional study. A total of 440 mothers of under 5 children were interviewed using a pretested and pre-designed schedule. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the variables. The data were analyzed using Epi-Info. Results Majority of study subjects had awareness about malaria. However, less than 50% under 5 children slept under the insecticide treated net. About one- fourth of households accepted the IRS in the previous year. Conclusions Well-planned and well implemented communication programs with special focus on proven effective malaria control interventions can contribute to achieving multi-level malaria prevention and treatment targets