Table 3 Characteristics of participants who indicated a consistent preference for home-based testing (by self/family or CHV) or laboratory-based testing
From: Attitudes toward home-based malaria testing in rural and urban Sierra Leone
Characteristic | Rural | Urban | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Home-based testing preference (n = 454) | Laboratory-based testing preference (n = 131) | 2-sided Chi-squared test p-value | Home-based testing preference (n = 59) | Laboratory-based testing preference (n = 67) | 2-sided Chi-squared test p-value | ||
Febrile at the time of the survey | 52.4 (238/454) | 55.7 (73/131) | 0.505 | 39.0 (23/59) | 40.3 (27/67) | 0.880 | |
Usually consults with a healthcare provider about suspected malaria | 45.5 (201/442) | 56.0 (70/125) | 0.038 | 71.2 (42/59) | 78.8 (52/66) | 0.326 | |
A healthcare provider recommended a diagnostic test during the most recent consultation for a fever | 55.2 (232/420) | 54.2 (64/118) | 0.847 | 62.7 (37/59) | 80.0 (52/65) | 0.033 | |
Had a diagnostic test to determine the cause of most recent febrile illness | 34.0 (154/454) | 45.8 (60/131) | 0.014 | 47.5 (28/59) | 63.6 (42/66) | 0.069 | |
Usually takes a diagnostic test to confirm suspected malaria | 32.5 (145/446) | 43.2 (54/125) | 0.027 | 39.7 (23/58) | 77.8 (49/63) | <0.001 | |
Usually buys medicines to treat malaria without first consulting a healthcare provider | 82.7 (369/446) | 64.3 (83/129) | <0.001 | 89.8 (53/59) | 82.1 (55/67) | 0.215 | |
Willing to pay more for a home-based test than a laboratory-based test | 63.2 (287/454) | 25.4 (33/130) | <0.001 | 44.1 (26/59) | 20.9 (14/67) | 0.005 | |
Belief about how often adult fevers in the community are due to malaria | Always | 30.2 (137/454) | 11.5 (15/131) | <0.001 | 35.6 (21/59) | 20.9 (14/67) | 0.160 |
Most of the time | 27.3 (124/454) | 62.6 (82/161) | 39.0 (23/59) | 52.2 (35/67) | |||
Sometimes | 35.5 (161/454) | 20.6 (27/131) | 25.4 (15/59) | 26.9 (18/67) | |||
Rarely or never | 7.0 (32/454) | 5.3 (7/131) | 0.0 (0/0) | 0.0 (0/0) | |||
Confidence in ability to perform a malaria test on self without assistance | Very confident | 36.5 (165/452) | 26.1 (29/111) | 0.034 | 45.8 (27/59) | 16.4 (11/67) | <0.001 |
Somewhat confident | 17.7 (80/452) | 14.4 (16/111) | 45.8 (27/59) | 26.9 (18/67) | |||
Not at all confident | 45.8 (207/452) | 59.5 (66/111) | 8.5 (5/59) | 56.7 (38/67) | |||
Confidence in ability to perform a malaria test if trained on how to use a test kit | Very confident | 51.9 (235/453) | 43.2 (48/111) | 0.005 | 83.1 (49/59) | 37.3 (25/67) | <0.001 |
Somewhat confident | 15.5 (70/453) | 28.8 (32/111) | 13.6 (8/59) | 23.9 (16/67) | |||
Not at all confident | 32.7 (148/453) | 27.9 (31/111) | 3.4 (2/59) | 38.8 (26/67) | |||