Utilization of Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Pregnancy In Rural Areas of Enugu State

Objective: This study focused on the utilization of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy in rural areas of Enugu State Methods: A descriptive survey was conducted among booked pregnant women (younger & older) in thirteen (13) rural Local Government Areas of Enugu State. Data were collected using a self-structured questionnaire titled “Predictors of Utilization of Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Pregnancy Questionnaire (PUIPTPQ)”.The research questions were answered using mean scores and standard deviations. In testing the hypotheses at.05 level of significance set for this study, z-test statistic was used. Results: The responses of the respondents on how parity predicts utilization of IPTp showed that the cluster mean was 2.80 with a corresponding standard deviation of 0.82.The responses of the respondents on how level of education predicts utilization of IPTp showed that their cluster mean was 3.02 with a corresponding standard deviation of .83. The responses of the respondents on how employment predicts utilization of IPTp showed that their cluster mean was 3.00 with a corresponding standard deviation of .81.The responses of the respondents on how marital status predicts utilization of IPTp showed that their cluster mean was 3.03 with a corresponding standard deviation of .82. The responses of the respondents on how antenatal visits predict utilization of IPTp showed that their cluster mean was 2.91 with a corresponding standard deviation of .80. The responses of the respondents on how gestational age at booking predicts the utilization of IPTp showed that their cluster mean was 2.95 with a corresponding standard deviation of .83. Conclusion: The study concluded that factors like parity, level of education, employment status, marital status, scheduled antenatal visits and gestational age at booking affect the utilization of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria among pregnant women in rural areas in Enugu State. Also the hypothesis tested showed that there is no significant difference between the mean ratings of younger and older pregnant women in rural areas of Enugu State on the utilization of IPTp based on parity, level of education, employment status, marital status, scheduled antenatal visits and gestational age of pregnancy at booking.