PEER EDUCATION WORKS!

A peer education campaign in  Edo State, Nigeria, resulted in a significant increase in knowledge on preventive measures against malaria during pregnancy.

Malaria in pregnancy can have serious consequences for a mother and her (unborn) child. To increase knowledge on the effects of malaria during pregnancy and knowledge about preventive measures, KIT Biomedical Research has developed a peer education campaign with Nigerian partners of the University of Benin City. The effects of this intervention were also analysed. The conclusion is that peer education is an effective way to increase the knowledge on and use of preventive measures.

Malaria and pregnancy
Malaria is a serious infection affecting especially young children and pregnant women. Over 30 million pregnant women, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa, are at risk of infection with malaria. Annually at least 10,000 pregnant women die due to this disease, which is transmitted through the bite of a certain kind of mosquito. Because the malaria parasites settle in the blood vessels of the placenta, the supply of  food and oxygen to the developing foetus is hampered; with all possible consequences: low birth weight, retardation and still births.
Measures to prevent a malaria infection include sleeping under insecticide impregnated bed nets and the use of prophylaxis (taking anti-malaria medication at regular intervals). Unfortunately, these preventive measures are not often taken up very well.

Peer education
Peer education is a form of knowledge transfer where ‘equals’ (in this case women) inform others or educate them. ‘Peer’ means friend or equal, ‘education’ stands for teaching, informing, knowledge transfer and training itself. In this project women have been trained to inform other women on the use of impregnated bed nets and the importance of prophylaxis.

The programme was developed by the research department KIT Biomedical Research of the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) and the University of Benin City in Nigeria and implemented in several communities in Edo Sate. The project received financial support from MalariaNoMore!NL.
Within the programme thirty peer educators were trained. More than 2,000 women received information and instructions.

The effect
Research some time after the peer education campaign reveals that more than 90 per cent of the women has adequate knowledge about the negative consequences of a malaria infection during pregnancy. An increase of 20 percent. Furthermore, 80 per cent knows that sleeping under an impregnated bed net helps prevent a malaria infection (was less than 50 per cent).

The campaign would have been even more successful if pregnant women had more easy access to primary health care and if sufficient numbers of bed nets were available.

This study is presented at 7th European Congress on Tropical Medicine & International Health in Barcelona and is published in BMC Public Health 11: 610. (See External links)

• Tags
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• health |
• malaria |
• pregnancy |
• peer education |
• bed net |
• prevention

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