Barriers of Malaria Control Interventions in African and Asian communities: A Comparative Meta-Synthesis Study

Abstract

Background: The research about malaria mainly focused on clinical, vector biology, and epidemiology quantitative studies. But the qualitative evidence at the community level remains untouched in high transmission countries. The current paper focuses on the qualitative evidence to explore the behavioral and community health barriers of malaria control interventions at the grassroots level using an inter-continental comparative platform. Therefore, we selected qualitative studies from Asian and African continents which hold major high transmission hotspot areas. Methods: We screened qualitative studies that focused in-depth on the barriers of malaria control measures for meta-synthesis, which were published between 2010 and 2020 in the Asian and African countries. We followed PRISMA guidelines to conduct a literature search on 7 databases and the quality of the articles was assessed by the SRQR guide. We conducted thematic synthesis and quantified the themes to assess the proportion of barriers identified in both continents and highlighted the barriers and recommendations using an explanatory framework. Results: We have selected 8 articles, which studied in-depth perceptions, barriers, and challenges of malaria control interventions in both Asian and African communities. The lack of knowledge on malaria, approaching traditional healers for treatment, and corruption in the distribution of insecticide nets were the major identified barriers in Asian countries, whereas lack of knowledge and noncompliance to drugs due to side effects were the major issues reported in African countries. Conclusion: Meta-synthesis is designed to investigate the common phenomena among diverse settings. In this study, we have attempted to pool the commonalities and contrasts in barriers of malaria control interventions in both countries. The results of the review givefirsthand information to the policymakers for revising strategies and priorities for the malaria elimination goals in both developing countries.