Table 1 Individual level social and demographic characteristics of study participants in two districts of Meghalaya state, India
| Characteristic |
West Jaintia Hills (N = 1467) |
West Khasi Hills (N = 1286) |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years)* | 22.2 (18.1) | 19.2 (16.0) |
| Gender | ||
| Female | 855 (58.3%) | 697 (54.4%) |
| Male | 612 (41.7%) | 585 (45.6%) |
| Highest education of participants aged ≥ 18 years^ | ||
| No formal education | 338 (45.7%) | 160 (28.6%) |
| Below primary (preschool/kindergarten) | 74 (10.0%) | 47 (8.4%) |
| Primary (class V) | 221 (29.9%) | 104 (18.6%) |
| Middle (class VIII) | 48 (6.5%) | 125 (22.3%) |
| Secondary/matric (class X) | 31 (4.2%) | 64 (11.4%) |
| Higher secondary (class XII) | 13 (1.8%) | 34 (6.1%) |
| Graduate | 14 (1.9%) | 25 (4.5%) |
| Post graduate | 0 (0%) | 1 (0.2%) |
| Diploma | 1 (0.1%) | 0 (0%) |
| Occupation | ||
| Cultivator | 349 (23.8%) | 269 (20.9%) |
| Agricultural labourer | 124 (8.5%) | 14 (1.1%) |
| Daily wage/labour | 82 (5.6%) | 76 (5.9%) |
| Salaried service | 28 (1.9%) | 36 (2.8%) |
| Self-employed/trade | 16 (1.1%) | 15 (1.2%) |
| Housewife | 127 (8.7%) | 125 (9.7%) |
| Student | 473 (32.3%) | 512 (39.8%) |
| Child, not schooling | 61 (4.2%) | 28 (2.2%) |
| None | 206 (14.1%) | 205 (15.9%) |
| Other | 0 (0%) | 6 (0.5%) |
| Self-reported malaria in past 12 months | 16 (1.1%) | 83 (6.5%) |
| History of travel in last 14 days | 31 (2.1%) | 25 (1.9%) |
| Staying in field for one or more night | ||
| Yes | 116 (7.9%) | 22 (1.7%) |
| No | 684 (46.7%) | 663 (51.6%) |
| Not applicable | 665 (45.4%) | 600 (46.7%) |
| Number of nights stayed in the field* | 7.3 (3.0) | 4.8 (1.9) |
| Taking ITN when staying in the field | 109 (94.0%) | 10 (45.5%) |
| Knowledge of signs and symptoms of malaria | ||
| Fever | 88 (98.9%) | 315 (96.3%) |
| Headache | 84 (94.4%) | 213 (65.3%) |
| Chill | 68 (76.4%) | 249 (85.2%) |
| Body-ache | 49 (55.1%) | 187 (63.8%) |
| Preferred healthcare service provider for malaria | ||
| Government healthcare facility | 1464 (99.8%) | 1133 (88.1%) |
| Private healthcare facility | 3 (0.2%) | 147 (11.4%) |
| Traditional healer/home management | 0 (0%) | 4 (0.3%) |
| Don’t know/other facilities | 0 (0%) | 2 (0.2%) |