The effectiveness of malaria health education provided to pregnant women by nurses at a selected health centre in Rwanda

Abstract

Health education is a necessary part of prenatal health and plays an important part in reducing prenatal health problems among vulnerable populations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of malaria health education given to pregnant women by nurses at one selected health centre in Rwanda. This study used a quantitative approach, with a non-experimental, descriptive design. Non-probability convenience sampling was used to select the sample, comprising all pregnant women who attended the selected health centre during the period of the study and who consented to complete questionnaires. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows, Version 15. Descriptive data were analysed by means of frequencies, means, percentages and medians and the results are presented in tables. Almost half of respondents (48.6%; n=17) had received malaria information from health centres and 48.6% (n=17) from community health workers. As many as 80.0% (n=28) slept under mosquito nets and 97.1% (n=34) closed their homes' doors and windows before dusk. The results show that malaria health education, given to pregnant women by nurses, improved these women's malaria knowledge and enabled them to make effective decisions to reduce the incidence of malaria in Rwanda among pregnant women.