The DHS Program

Individual- and Community-level Correlates of Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Pregnancy in Ghana (English) 

Document Type

Working Papers

Publication Topic(s)

Malaria

Country(s)

Ghana

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Sarfo, Jacob Owusu, Patience Fakornam Doe, and Dickson Okoree Mireku. 2023. “Individual- and Community-level Correlates of Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Pregnancy in Ghana.” DHS Working Papers No. 190. Rockville, Maryland, USA: ICF

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Publication Date

July 2023

Publication ID

WP190

Abstract:

Background: Ghana adopted the policy on intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy using sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) in 2003. Despite the government’s and other stakeholders’ efforts in Ghana, optimal uptake (three or more doses of IPTp- SP) has slightly declined since 2016. This study examined the individual- and community- level correlates of pregnant women who take optimal or none/partial doses (less than three doses) of IPTp-SP using the Ghana Malaria Indicator Survey (GMIS), 2019. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of the GMIS 2019 data. Our analytical sample included 1,151 women age 15–49 whose most recent birth was in the previous two years before the survey. Results: The results indicated that the overall uptake among participants was 39.0% for none/partial doses and 61.0% for optimal doses of IPTp-SP. The level of uptake differed depending on the individual rather than community-level characteristics of pregnant women. Individual-level demographic factors (religion and region of residence) and health-related factors (such as the number of antenatal (ANC) visits and scheduling of the first ANC visit) were associated with optimal IPTp-SP uptake among pregnant women in Ghana. Only the region of residence, number of ANC visits, and first ANC visit predicted IPTp-SP uptake. Conclusions: There is a need for policy, interventions, and research on malaria prevention in pregnancy to improve the decline in uptake. We recommend that the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service, the National Malaria Control Program, and other stakeholders consider the factors identified in this study to improve the delivery and uptake of IPT-SP services.