Sociodemographic and behavioural factors associated with hospital malaria patients in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

A hospital-based case-control study was conducted at Paholpolpayuhasena Hospital, Kanchanaburi, Thailand to investigate social and behavioural factors believed to be associated with malaria occurrence. Data were obtained from 210 malaria and 210 non-malaria patients presenting at the hospital from August to September 1984. All study subjects were interviewed by trained interviewers using a structured interview form. The results showed that the malaria cases were predominantly male, under age 30 and single. Bivariate analysis showed a significant association for knowledge of transmission, use of mosquito nets, and residing or working in forested areas 2 weeks before the illness with malaria occurrence. Logistic regression analysis revealed that age, education, duration of stay in the area and knowledge of transmission were significantly associated with disease occurrence. After adjusting for these variables, use of a mosquito net was also found to be significantly associated with occurrence. Residence or work place 2 weeks before the illness was another variable significantly associated with the presence of malaria infection even after adjustment for age and knowledge of transmission. The groups found in this study to be at high risk of malaria infection were younger age groups, forest-related workers and migrant workers. The results of this study suggest that efforts should be made to identify these people and target them for malaria health education.