Faculty Saint-Jean, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Faculty of Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Malar J. 2022 Jun 21;21(1):197. doi: 10.1186/s12936-022-04210-w.
Important knowledge gaps exist in the understanding of the management of the risks of imported malaria in Canada among Francophone immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa (FISSA). The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the malaria related-knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of FISSA in Edmonton, where these immigrants are in an official minority language situation and the impact of language barriers on these factors.
A structured survey was used to examine the KAP of 382 FISSA in the Edmonton area from 2018 to 2019. Fisher's Exact Test was applied to determine if there were associations between knowledge of malaria and different risk factors.
Almost all FISSA (97%) had an accurate knowledge of fever as the key symptom of malaria. Interestingly, 60% of participants identified bed nets as a preventive method and only 19% of participants had accurate knowledge of malaria transmission. An accurate knowledge of symptoms was significantly associated with a high perceived risk of contracting malaria [odds ratio (OR) 4.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-20.62]. Furthermore, even though 70% of FISSA had a high perceived risk of contracting malaria in endemic regions, only 52% of travellers had a pre-travel medical encounter. Importantly, language was not the predominant reason for not seeking pre-travel medical advice, although 84% of respondents chose French as their official language of preference when seeking medical advice. Having a French-speaking physician was correlated with satisfactory prevention knowledge (OR 1.96, 95% CI 1.16-3.35). With respect to health-seeking behaviour, 88% of respondents with a child < 5 years of age would seek medical care for fever in the child after travel to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
This study highlights that factors other than knowledge, risk assessment, and language might determine the lack of compliance with pre-travel medical encounters. It underscores the need for effective strategies to improve this adherence in minority settings.
在加拿大，来自撒哈拉以南非洲的法语移民（FISSA）对进口疟疾风险的管理理解存在重要的知识差距。本横断面研究的目的是调查埃德蒙顿地区 FISSA 的疟疾相关知识、态度和实践（KAP），这些移民处于官方少数民族语言环境中，以及语言障碍对这些因素的影响。
使用结构化调查于 2018 年至 2019 年期间调查了埃德蒙顿地区的 382 名 FISSA 的 KAP。Fisher 精确检验用于确定疟疾知识与不同风险因素之间是否存在关联。
几乎所有的 FISSA（97%）都准确地了解发烧是疟疾的关键症状。有趣的是，60%的参与者将蚊帐作为预防方法，只有 19%的参与者准确了解疟疾的传播方式。对症状的准确了解与对疟疾感染风险的高感知显著相关[比值比（OR）4.33，95%置信区间（CI）1.07-20.62]。此外，尽管 70%的 FISSA 认为在流行地区感染疟疾的风险很高，但只有 52%的旅行者在旅行前进行了医疗咨询。重要的是，语言并不是不寻求旅行前医疗咨询的主要原因，尽管 84%的受访者在寻求医疗建议时选择法语作为首选官方语言。有讲法语的医生与满意的预防知识相关（OR 1.96，95%CI 1.16-3.35）。在寻求医疗服务的行为方面，88%的有 5 岁以下儿童的受访者在儿童前往撒哈拉以南非洲旅行后会因发烧而寻求医疗护理。
本研究强调，除了知识、风险评估和语言之外，其他因素可能决定了不符合旅行前医疗咨询的情况。它强调了在少数民族环境中需要采取有效策略来提高这种依从性。
