Drivers of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy in Ghana: a generalized linear model with negative binomial approach

Abstract

This study identified the main drivers of intermittent preventive therapy (IPTp) of malaria in pregnancy with the malaria drugs’ sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine (SP) uptake from a longitudinal data set in Ghana. The data set was obtained from a municipal hospital and spanned a period of 9 years (December 2008–January 2017) and was captured on a monthly basis. We employed the generalized linear modeling approach with negative binomial method to analyze the 9 year data set. A log-linear time-series model was introduced which was then used to validate the results obtained from the logistic model. It is evident from the results that antenatal registration of pregnant women, male partner involvement in antenatal clinic attendance, and frequency of visits to antenatal clinics are the key drivers of IPTp-SP uptake. We recommend that the Family Planning and the Community Health Nursing units of the Ministry of Health, Ghana, should carry effective health campaigns geared towards raising awareness, promoting the early antenatal registration by pregnant women, encourage male partner involvement in antenatal clinics, and increase the frequency of visits (at least 4) to antenatal clinics by the pregnant women to improve upon the low uptake of IPTp-SP in Ghana.