ArticleMalaria journal2023
Barriers to accessing malaria treatment amongst school-age children in rural Malawi.
Article in Malaria journal, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mapping malaria risk using geospatial and AHP approaches in Nsanje District, Malawi.Epidemiology and infection · 2026Article
- Article
- Predictors and characteristics of malaria treatment-seeking in Malawi: a longitudinal cohort study.Malaria journal · 2025Article
- Polymeric microarray patches for transdermal delivery of amodiaquine and artesunate: A novel strategy againstMaterials today. Bio · 2025Article
- Determinants of access to health facilities among under-five children with caregiver-reported fever in the context of seasonal malaria chemoprevention in Togo, 2020-2022.Tropical medicine and health · 2025Article
- Population-Based Prevalence of Antibiotic Residuals in Low, Moderate and High Malaria Endemicity Areas in Tanzania.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Prevalence and drivers of malaria infection among asymptomatic and symptomatic community members in five regions with varying transmission intensity in mainland Tanzania.Parasites & vectors · 2025Article
- Socioeconomic determinants of malaria and hepatitis infections: insights from the Federal Medical Center, Makurdi, North Central, Nigeria.BMC public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOver the last two decades, many countries have moved from malaria control toward malaria elimination. However, some sub-Saharan African countries, like Malawi, have recently seen a reversal in malaria control progress with reported increases in confirmed malaria cases. This may be the result of inadequate access to effective malaria control interventions by key population groups that perpetuate transmission. This study aimed to assess the barriers to accessing malaria treatment among school-aged children (SAC) in Malawi.
methodsA qualitative study was conducted between September and October 2020, where data were gathered in rural Malawi using free-listing interviews, key-informant interviews, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Purposively sampled participants included SAC, parents of SAC, health workers and key stakeholders at community and district levels. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were organized using NVivo 12 software and analysed using the thematic method.
resultsThe study recruited 252 participants, with 156 being SAC, equally divided between boys and girls. Health system barriers to malaria treatment included long waiting hours and queues at clinics, frequent stock-outs of medical supplies, and travel time to the facility. Provider barriers included negative attitude and limited service hours. Individual and cultural barriers included fear of malaria tests and beliefs associating witchcraft as the best treatment for malaria. In addition, COVID-19-related barriers included the inability to follow preventive measures, a shift in focus from malaria to COVID-19, and fear of contracting COVID-19 and/or being tested for COVID-19 at the facility.
conclusionsThis study shows most of the barriers to accessing malaria treatment among SAC are similar to those experienced by other population groups. Furthermore, COVID-19 adversely affected SAC's access to treatment. Interventions that support SAC access to prompt diagnosis and treatment are urgently needed to improve the effective control of malaria.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.