Association of Social Class with Malaria Prevalence Among Household Heads in Ghana

Abstract

This is an exploratory study that investigates the association of social class with malaria prevalence among household heads in Ghana. Data utilized is taken from the 1997 Core Welfare Indicators Questionnaire (CWIQ) survey of Ghana. The survey collected information on households covering a variety of topics including education, health, employment, household assets, household amenities, poverty predictors, and child anthropometry. A total of 14,514 households were interviewed, comprising 63 percent rural household heads and 37 percent urban household heads. The research method employed in this study involves the construction of a composite index of social class from six indicators namely, education, dwelling ownership, heads of cattle, modern household items, main source of cooking fuel and type of toilet facility. Logistic regression was applied in examining the association between social class and the dependent variable, prevalence of malaria. Marital status and personal hygiene were examined together with social class as the predictor variables, while sex, age, place of residence and ecological zone were introduced as control variables. The study revealed that there was no direct association between social class and the prevalence of malaria among household heads in Ghana; rather, marital status served as a mediating factor.