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Background: Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by eukaryotic protist of genus Plasmodium and transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes. Those living mainly in the world's poorest countries are at risk of malaria as it is more endemic in the tropical and sub-tropical regions. Malaria spread has been linked to environmental changes, malaria vector dynamics, host immune status and individual or community factors such as the socio-economic status, knowledge of malaria and the protective behaviour. The objective is to assess knowledge, perceptions and practice of malaria management among non-medical students of higher institutions in Oyo State, Nigeria.Methods: An open-ended structured questionnaire was administered consecutively to 1198 consenting non-medical students by interviewer at various higher institutions. The crosssectional survey questionnaire comprised sections on socio-demographic data, knowledge about causes of malaria and knowledge about malaria management and practice. Results: The mean age (SD) was 21.7 (5.9) years. Five hundred and thirty respondents (44.2%) are male while 668 respondents (55.8%) are female. One thousand and seventy-seven students (89.9%) reported that malaria can be cured. Seventy-four students (6.2%) understand malaria prophylaxis to be a preventive treatment for malaria and 211 students (17.6%) said Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) are the most effective among the drugs they have used to treat malaria. Conclusion: Non-medical students have relatively reasonable knowledge about malaria management and practices, although, certain aspects are still not well understood, probably due to the scope of their educational curricula. Hence, there is need to intensify malaria public enlightenment programs and promote affordable treatment. Keywords: Malaria, student, mosquito, management. Oyo Eyaleti Öğrencileri ve Sıtma YönetimiGenel Bilgiler: Sıtma; ökaryotik tek hüçreli plazmidyum cinsinin sebep olduğu, vektör kaynaklı bulaşıcı bir hastalık ve dişi anopheles türü sivrisineklerle geçiş gösterir. Tropikal ve subtropikal bölgelerde daha yaygın olduğu için dünyanın en yoksul ülkelerinde yaşayanlar sıtma riski altındadır. Sıtma hastalığının yayılması, çevresel değişiklikler, sıtma vektörü dinamikleri, konakçının bağışıklık durumu ve sosyo-ekonomik durum, sıtmaya ilişkin bilgi ve korunma davranışı gibi bireysel ve toplumsal etmenlere bağlıdır. Amaç: Nijerya, Oyo Eyaleti'nde tıp dışındaki yüksek öğrenim öğrencilerinin sıtma hastalığı yönetimine ilişkin bilgi, algı ve uygulamalarının değerlendirilmesidir. Yöntem: Açık uçlu yapılandırılmış anket çeşitli yüksek öğrenim kurumlarında, tıp öğrenimi dışındaki öğrencilerden anketin uygulanmasını kabul eden 1198 kişiye görüşmeci tarafından uygulanmıştır. Kesitsel anket çalışmasındaki bölümler; sosyo-demografik veri, sıtma nedenlerine ilişkin bilgi ve sıtma hastalığı ve uygulmalarına ilişkin bilgiyi kapsamaktadır. Bulgular: Katılımcıların ortalama yaşı 21.7 ± 5.9 yıl idi. Altıyüz altmışsekiz katılımcı (% 55.8) kadın ...

Background: Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by eukaryotic protist of genus Plasmodium and transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes. Those living mainly in the world's poorest countries are at risk of malaria as it is more endemic in the tropical and subtropical regions. Malaria spread have been linked to environmental changes, malaria vector dynamics, host immune status as well as individual or community factors such as the socioeconomic status, knowledge of malaria, and the protective behavior. Objectives: To assess knowledge and practice of malaria prevention among non-medical students of higher institutions in Osun State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: An open-ended structured questionnaire was administered consecutively to 1420 consenting non-medical students by the interviewer at various higher institutions. The cross-sectional survey questionnaire comprised sections on socio-demographic data, knowledge about causes of malaria, and knowledge about malaria prevention and practice. Results: The mean age (standard deviation) was 22.8 (12.7) years. 733 respondents (61.3%) are male while 462 respondents (38.7%) are female. 1124 students (94.1%) stated that malaria can be prevented. Out of those that stated that malaria can be prevented listed methods to prevent malaria to include reducing exposure to mosquitoes by use of insecticide treated mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying. 570 students (47.7%) reported that malaria is more common in the tropical region. Only 181 (15.1%) students know the cause of malaria in humans to be Plasmodium. 1013 (84.3%) reported malaria to breed more during the rainy season and 473 (39.6%) students reported female Anopheles mosquito to be responsible for malaria. Conclusion: Non-medical students have relatively reasonable knowledge about malaria preventive measures and practices, although, certain aspects are still not well-understood, probably due to the scope of their educational curricula. Hence, there is a need to intensify malaria public enlightenment programs and promote affordable preventive measures.