Attitudes Beliefs and Practices Relevant to Malaria Prevention and Treatment in Madagascar and Liberia

Background: Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of social and behavior change communication (SBCC) programs has been a long-standing challenge for not only implementing partners, but funders needing to identify how to best allocate their resources. This is especially the case for malaria, a field in which SBCC M&E skills are scarce and funds have competing needs. To best identify the attitudes and beliefs most strongly associated with malaria prevention and control behaviors (e.g. use of bed nets, receipt of malarial prophylaxis during antenatal care, use of health services in cases when children present with fever, and attitudes related to indoor spraying), the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative conducted a cross-sectional household survey of 3,203 caregivers in Madagascar and 1,560 caregivers in Liberia. The survey also assessed the extent to which the relationship between ideation and behaviors varies among locations with differing levels of endemicity for malaria. Methods: Researchers conducted a cross-sectional household survey in 2014. Participants were required to be heads of households with children under five years old. Data were collected using paper questionnaires and analyzed using STATA 13.0. Results: Data describe the relationship of socio-demographic variables, ideational factors, exposure to malaria messages, and household variables with prevention and treatment behavioral outcomes. Conclusions:  Findings from this study reveal associations that will help inform and improve malaria prevention and control SBCC programs. In addition, this survey tool can be easily adapted for varying locations and interventions, implemented by practitioners with limited training and supervision, and integrated into any SBCC programs.