PREVALENCE OF MALARIA AND ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS AMONG THE ELDERLY IN NIGERIA: IMPLICATION FOR POLICY INTERVENTION

Abstract

Malaria is a widespread public health issue that affects not just children under
five and pregnant women but also the elderly, who are also susceptible to malaria infection like
other age cohorts. This study specifically examines malaria prevalence and associated risk
factors among Nigeria's older population and its implications for policy intervention. It adopted
secondary data from the 2015 Nigerian Malaria Indicator Survey report. A total of 1778 elderly
persons were considered in the study. Analyses were carried out at different levels. At the
bivariate level, the chi-square test was carried out to explore the factors that were associated
with malaria incidence. At the same time, the multivariate logistic regression considers the
impact of each of the variables on malaria incidence while adjusting for other variables. The
test was conducted at a 5 percent level of significance, and the results were presented using the
adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 95% confidence interval (CI), and p-values. Findings revealed a
high prevalence case of malaria among the elderly, with the rural areas having the highest
incidence cases. All reported ages (≥ 60 years) showed a high prevalence level, while there was
slight variance by age group among the different age intervals of the elderly. The study
concludes that the high malaria prevalence rate in the study area is influenced by factors such
as education, age, and place of residence. To combat malaria effectively, prevention and control
programmes should be extensive and all-encompassing across all ages, especially the elderly.