The Deadly Trio of Malaria, Pneumonia and Diarrhea: Assessing Community Knowledge Gaps and Beliefs within Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) Practice in a Nigerian State

Abstract

The trio of Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) target conditions, malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea, constitute a devastating global disease burden killing over 1 million under-5 children annually. Nigeria accounts for almost 15% of global under-5 mortality. The World Health Organization is promoting iCCM in resource-constrained societies. Therefore, this study assesses the knowledge of community members on iCCM target conditions. Health belief model serves as a theoretical guide for the study, which was conducted in three purposively selected Local Government Areas in Sokoto State, Nigeria. The study found that there are still some significant misconceptions despite the high prevalence of these diseases. About one-quarter of the respondents did not believe any of the diseases could kill a child. Socio-demographic variables have a significant effect on the knowledge gaps constituting barriers to the uptake of iCCM services. Despite the high usage of insecticide-treated bed-net, 68.9% of the respondents disclosed perceived malaria within the last 30 days preceding the survey. In all, 85.4% of the respondents have some religious barriers to attending health facilities. The study concluded that the diseases’ misconceptions limit the uptake of iCCM services where available. Therefore, knowledge of community members on iCCM needs to be improved.