Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 90 | Published: 11 Oct 2026
Franklin Duncan Sylvester Adjato1,2,&, Evelyn Korkor Ansah3, Anthony Zunuo Dongdem1, Albert Abaka-Yawson4, Gideon Kye-Duodu1, Sadat Ibrahim1
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana, 2Hohoe Public Health Laboratory, Hohoe, Ghana, 3Centre for Malaria Research, Institute for Health Research, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana, 4Department of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Franklin Duncan Sylvester Adjato, Hohoe Public Health Laboratory, Hohoe, Ghana, Email: franklin.adjato@ghs.gov.gh
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 30 Aug 2026, Published: 11 Oct 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Malaria vaccine RTS, S/AS01, risk perception, preventive measures, caregivers
©Franklin Duncan Sylvester Adjato et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Franklin Duncan Sylvester Adjato et al., Malaria risk perception and adoption of preventive measures among mothers and caregivers following the RTS, S/AS01 vaccine rollout, Hohoe Municipality, Volta Region, Ghana. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):90. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-0090
Malaria remains a significant public health challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 94% of global malaria cases and 95% of malaria deaths. The RTS, S/AS01 malaria vaccine offers a promising new tool against malaria, yet prevalence remains high in Hohoe Municipality, Ghana, despite existing interventions. This study assessed malaria risk perception, adoption of preventive measures, and malaria parasitaemia among mothers and caregivers during the RTS, S/AS01 vaccine rollout in Hohoe Municipality.
A cross-sectional study using multistage sampling recruited 377 mothers and caregivers. A semi-structured questionnaire collected quantitative data, while an interview guide was used for two focus group discussions (six participants each) and four in-depth interviews with mothers, caregivers, and healthcare workers. Quantitative data were cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 22.0; qualitative data were thematically analyzed using NVivo version 13.0.
Overall, 55.56% of participants reported adopting malaria preventive measures, while 98.67% indicated their children had completed the RTS, S/AS01 schedule. Malaria parasitaemia prevalence among vaccinated children was 11.14% (95% CI: 8.15–14.76). Tertiary education (AOR=1.94; 95% CI: 1.14–3.26), moderate risk perception (AOR=5.01; 95% CI: 2.80–9.00), and high risk perception (AOR=1.78; 95% CI: 1.01–3.14) were associated with increased adoption of preventive measures. Health education, counselling, and outreach by healthcare workers promoted uptake, though intermittent vaccine shortages constrained implementation.
Caregivers demonstrated moderate-to-high malaria risk perception, and vaccine uptake was high; however, adoption of complementary preventive measures remained suboptimal. Strengthening malaria risk communication, caregiver education, and vaccine supply chains is recommended to improve integrated malaria prevention strategies in Hohoe Municipality and similar settings.
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