Survey on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of malaria prevention and control among Chinese expatriates in South Sudan.

BACKGROUND

Malaria is a major health risk faced by Chinese expatriates working in South Sudan. The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of Chinese expatriates in South Sudan towards malaria prevention and control, analyze the influencing factors, and provide a basis for reducing the morbidity and mortality of malaria.

METHODS

By distributing questionnaires, data on socio-demographic characteristics of Chinese expatriates in South Sudan, and information on their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards malaria prevention and control were collected from April 5th to 12th, 2023.

RESULTS

The recognition degree of malaria prevention and control was better, and the accuracy of each choice in knowledge, attitude and pracice was 19.4-99.75%, 85.57-99.25% and 82.59-99.00%, respectively. Of the 402 respondents, none had a history of malaria before coming to South Sudan, the malaria infection rate was 41.29% (166/402). The results of multiple linear regression analysis suggest "Knowledge Scores" will have a significant positive impact on "Practices Scores" (B = 0.206, 95% CI: 0.045 ~ 0.367, P = 0.013). However, the remaining five independent variables do not have an impact on "Practices Scores".

CONCLUSIONS

The KAP of Chinese expatriates in South Sudan towards malaria prevention and control is good, but needs to be further strengthened. Improving knowledge about malaria prevention and control can reduce the incidence of malaria.