The Influence of Economic and Socio-cultural Factors on Strategic Implementation of Malaria Intervention Strategies among the Lake Basin Dwellers—Evidence from Suba South Constituency, Homabay County, Kenya

Abstract

Malaria is one of the most serious parasitic diseases causing up to 90% of deaths annually in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is recognized that much of the morbidity and mortality associated with malaria could be reduced provided that existing strategies like ITNs, IVMs, vaccination, and ACT treatment among others are fully implemented. This study aimed at investigating the influence of economic and socio-cultural factors on the strategic implementation of malaria intervention strategies among the Lake Basin dwellers, with particular interest on the households of Suba South Constituency in Homabay County. Most of the residents of Suba South Constituency live along the Lake Victoria Basin and, due to the heavy presence of mosquitoes, are highly vulnerable to malaria attack, thus finding themselves at the very centre of the need to strategically implement every necessary measure to control the disease. Ross’ quantitative theory of malaria and mosquito-borne disease transmission and the quantitative foundation of epidemiology that describe adult mosquito movement and the spatial scale of larval control required to reduce mosquito populations and eliminate malaria from an area, formed the major basis of this study. A descriptive survey research design was adopted with a sample of 392 respondents drawn from a target population of 20,609 households from the four Wards of Suba Constituency. Data was collected using questionnaire schedules and the responses were analyzed with the help of SPSS and subjected to chi-square analysis to test research hypotheses. The findings revealed that economic factors have very great influence on strategic implementation of malaria intervention strategies in Suba South Constituency, while socio-cultural factors have great influence on the same. The study recommends, among other things, that intensive awareness campaigns should be launched in Suba South Constituency to sensitize the community against the danger of malaria and the various implementation strategies available to control the spread of malaria. This would demystify the myths about malaria and disassociate it from cultural beliefs and norms like witchcraft, bad omen, and sorcery among others which impede the strategic implementation of malaria intervention strategies. It also recommends that various financial opportunities should be created in the Constituency besides, farming and that fishing activities should be made more profitable and sustainable to economically empower the community and increase their economic ability to afford some of the strategic interventions to curb the malaria menace.

Keywords: Economic Factors; Socio-cultural factors; Strategic Implementation; Malaria Intervention Strategies.