Determinants of Intermittent Preventive Malaria Therapy Among Pregnant Women in A Nigerian Teaching Hospital

Background: Intermittent Preventive Treatment of malaria in Pregnancy (IPTp) is mostly issued in most antenatal clinics across the country but there have been reports of poor utilization of this prophylaxis. Objective: This study assessed the determinants of IPTp among pregnant women attending a tertiary hospital in southeast Nigeria. Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study in which a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 250 pregnant women receiving antenatal care in the study hospital. The data collected were analyzed with the aid of SPSS, using descriptive and inferential statistics. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A majority of the participants responded positively to most of the factors assessed, however, none was statistically significant. Conclusion: Based on these findings, pregnant women at a tertiary hospital in southeast Nigeria are aware of IPTp, nevertheless, most fail to commence the medication at the correct time.