Here is a systematic review of factors infuencing participation in two types of malaria prevention intervention in Myanmar. Community engagement is going to be difficult in malaria control efforts these days.
Jamie
A systematic review of factors infuencing
participation in two types of malaria prevention
intervention in Southeast Asia
Breagh Cheng1
, Saw Nay Htoo2
, Naw Pue Pue Mhote3 and Colleen M. Davison1*
Abstract
Background: Multi-pronged malaria elimination strategies are increasingly being considered for accelerating eforts
against malaria transmission in Southeast Asia. Two malaria prevention interventions used in in the region are insecticide-treated bed-nets (ITNs) and mass drug administration (MDA). Universal access to ITNs is recommended and high
population coverage (e.g. above 80%) is needed during MDA initiatives to maximize the impact of these interventions. However, variability in ITN use and individual MDA participation exists. This systematic review aims to provide
a summary and overview of literature discussing factors infuencing uptake of these two malaria control strategies in
Southeast Asian countries.
Methods: A search of OVID Embase, OVID MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science,
OpenGrey, ProQuest, and Google Scholar was undertaken in February 2020. English-language publications with any
study design using data from any of the ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were
eligible for inclusion. In addition, reference lists of identifed articles were manually searched. Websites for relevant
international agencies were also searched to identify related grey literature.
Results: The review identifed thirty publications that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Most discussed ITN
use (n=18) and were relevant to populations in Myanmar (n=14). All MDA studies were published after 2016,
whereas included ITN studies spanned from 1998 to 2020. Seven main themes emerged across the studies. Knowledge of malaria and attitudes towards ITNs were emphasized as key factors associated with ITN use. For MDA participation, key factors included the importance of positive attitudes towards the program, the infuence of indirect costs
and incentives, and the tendency for group decision-making.
Conclusions: As countries in Southeast Asia continue to work towards becoming malaria-free by 2030, the knowledge and attitudes of local population sub-groups should be assessed and incorporated into the planning and implementation of malaria prevention activities. The role of incentives and group decision making should also be considered particularly as they relate to MDA. There is need for ongoing involvement of health educators, the continuation
of implementation research and the prioritization of community engagement eforts alongside malaria interventions
in the region.
https://malariajournal.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12936-021-03733-y.pdf
