Demand for malaria rapid diagnostic test, health care-seeking behaviour, and drug use among rural community members with fever or malaria-like illness in Ebonyi state, Nigeria: a cross-sectional household survey

Omale, Ugwu I.; Oka, Onyinyechukwu U.; Okeke, Ifeyinwa M.; Azuogu, Benedict N.; Alo, Chihurumnanya; Madubueze, Ugochukwu C.; Eze, Irene I.; Okeke, Kingsley C.; Utulu, Rowland; Akpan, Uduak E.; Iloke, Chijioke V.; Nnubia, Anthonia O.; Ibemesi, Desi O.; Nnabu, Chukwuka R.; Anene, Ogechukwu C.

doi:10.1186/s12913-021-06865-8

Table 2 The demand for MRDT among participants¹ by background characteristics

From: Demand for malaria rapid diagnostic test, health care-seeking behaviour, and drug use among rural community members with fever or malaria-like illness in Ebonyi state, Nigeria: a cross-sectional household survey

	Among participants	Number of participants	Among participants who received MRDT	Number of participants who received MRDT
	% who received MRDT	Number of participants	% who requested** for the MRDT	Number of participants who received MRDT
Children under 5 years of age
Age group (in months)
< 12	35.0	140	4.1	49
12–23	41.5	200	24.1	83
24–35	44.5	299	15.8	133
36–47	37.7	313	14.4	118
48–59	38.5	358	15.9	138
Sex
Male	42.5	696	17.9	296
Female	36.6	614	12.9	225
Solely visited orthodox providers⁵
Public sector providers⁶	85.5	433	14.9	370
Private sector providers⁷	10.8	656	18.3	71
Educational level of respondent³
No education	36.7	199	9.6	73
Primary	36.6	494	9.9	181
Secondary	41.7	542	19.5	226
Tertiary	54.7	75	31.7	41
Occupation of respondent³
Farmer	36.6	552	8.4	202
Trader	44.8	498	17.5	223
Teacher	51.1	45	30.4	23
Civil servant	44.8	29	38.5	13
Others*	32.3	186	23.3	60
Knowledge/opinion⁴ of respondent³
Poor	25.6	117	6.7	30
Fair	40.6	695	11.7	282
Good	42.0	498	22.5	209
Total	39.8	1310	15.7	521
Children ages 5 yrs. & above & adults²
Age group (in years)
5–14	35.7	1090	17.2	389
15–24	31.7	385	18.1	122
25–34	35.4	226	13.7	80
35–44	33.2	208	20.3	69
45–54	26.3	160	11.9	42
> =55	28.1	260	9.6	73
Sex
Male	33.8	859	16.5	290
Female	33.0	1470	16.1	485
Solely visited orthodox providers⁵
Public sector providers⁶	88.0	560	17.2	493
Private sector providers⁷	11.6	1130	12.2	131
Educational level of respondent³
No education	26.5	712	9.5	189
Primary	31.1	830	9.7	258
Secondary	38.1	643	22.0	245
Tertiary	57.6	144	34.9	83
Occupation of respondent³
Farmer	28.8	1291	12.1	372
Trader	39.4	677	16.1	267
Teacher	50.0	60	30.0	30
Civil servant	52.9	70	35.1	37
Others*	29.9	231	23.2	69
Knowledge/opinion⁴ of respondent³
Poor	16.2	340	5.5	55
Fair	34.8	1252	15.1	436
Good	38.5	737	20.1	284
Total	33.3	2329	16.3	775
Overall Total	35.6	3639	16.1	1296

¹Children and adults (excluding pregnant women) with reported fever/malaria-like illness in the two weeks preceding a household survey. ²Adults excluding pregnant women. ³Respondent female heads of households (the mother of the house or female primary care giver). ⁴Knowledge and opinion level of survey respondents about malaria and malaria diagnosis (knowledge and opinion score of < 50% of the total of 47 was poor knowledge, 50–< 70% was fair, > = 70% was good). * Mainly include hair dressers, tailors, house wives, and students. **Those who requested or whose caregivers requested for MRDT. ⁵Include public and private sector providers (excluding traditional practitioners and drug hawkers). ⁶Include mostly the public primary health centres/providers (others include government hospitals, health posts, community health workers, and free mobile clinics) ⁷ include mostly the patent medicine vendors (others include private hospitals/clinics, private health workers, private mobile clinics, pharmacy)

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ISSN: 1472-6963

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