Determinants of Prophylaxis Uptake against Malaria among Pregnant Women in Uganda

Grace Kemigisha, Makerere University
John A. Mushomi, Makerere University
Betty Kwagala, Makerere University

In Uganda, malaria is the number one contributor to high infant mortality (76/1000) and high maternal mortality (435/100000). A sample of 824 women was extracted from the main dataset of UDHS 2006 for further analysis. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were used. From bivariate analysis, the independent factors that were significantly associated with prophylaxis uptake against malaria included education level, wealth index, ownership and type of bed net used, antenatal visits and residence. The significant determinants of prophylaxis uptake included education level and antenatal visits; where pregnant women with secondary+ education were more likely to use prophylaxis and pregnant women who attended antenatal were also more likely to use prophylaxis.We recommend that improving information education and communication strategy particularly targeting pregnant women with no education who lack knowledge on the use of prophylaxis against malaria.