Socioeconomic Determinants of Malaria in Selected Urban and Rural Areas in Anambra State, Nigeria

Malaria, a disease of poverty, is of significant public health concern. It is endemic in Nigeria with the risk of transmission appearing to be high because of favorable climatic and environmental factors. Increased susceptibility to malaria has also been linked to dirty surroundings that favor the breeding and propagation of the vector, poor access to quality health care and ignorance especially of malaria prevention strategies. However, this study investigated the role of socioeconomic factors responsible for the observed difference in malaria prevalence between selected rural and urban areas of Anambra, Nigeria. A descriptive comparative cross-sectional study, data on demographic and socioeconomic variables were collected from 202 urban and rural respondents, then analyzed using SPSS platform to generate chi-square test of significance. The results were presented in figures, table and charts for clarity. All the subjects were aware of the term malaria but only 63.4% had adequate specific knowledge of malaria. Generally, 25.7% of rural participants had no formal education while the urban group had only 4% of that particular category. About 52.5% of rural participants earned below 50,000 naira monthly, with 14.9% earning above 100,000 naira while the reverse was the case in the urban area. Also, the number of malaria episodes was inversely proportional to the household monthly income (X2=24.30, p<0.001). More episodes of malaria were also reported among the unskilled workers and skilled workers (71.3%) compared to Professionals (28.7%), yet all the participants reported the presence of a healthcare facility <3km from their houses with 95% and 80.2% of them in the rural and urban areas respectively having to pay out-of-pocket for healthcare services. It is clear that socioeconomic factors play a role in the persistence of malaria as an endemic disease in Nigeria. Therefore, existing control measures should incorporate strategies to end poverty and ignorance especially among the rural populace.