Effect of a Nurse-Led Health Talk on Malaria Prevention Behaviors among Primigravida Women Attending University of Jos Health Centre, Plateau State

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the effect of a nurse-led health talk on malaria prevention behaviour on primigravida women. Studies have established the negative impact of malaria infection on women during pregnancy. The mortality rate associated with it has made all the stake holders to be uncomfortable with this situation. One of the sustainable development goals is the reduction of maternal death. It has been further established that malaria accounts for a large proportion of maternal death hence the need to halt its progress. Awareness and information on malaria can be affected through health talk. Nurses being one of the frontline health providers are expected to live up to expectations in this respect. The researchers had a felt need to know how this health talk would make impact on mothers who were having a debut pregnancy experience. This was a cross-sectional and quasi-experimental study using University of Jos Health Centre as the study setting. Fifty primigravida women agreed to participate in the study by filling the questionnaire before and after the health talk. All the necessary ethical principles were duly observed. The women were administered questionnaire before the health talk was given, and same was done during their second visit, after the delivery of the health talk. Questionnaire was analyzed using percentages and frequencies. The findings revealed that primigravida women benefitted greatly from the health talk as all of them commenced the use of insecticide treated bed-nets and intermittent preventive treatment as instructed and taught during the health talk.