Abstract

Malaria, a life-threatening disease transmitted by infected female Anopheles mosquitoes,
poses a significant global health challenge. In 2017, there were approximately 219 million
malaria cases worldwide, with the WHO African Region accounting for 92% of them and
Uganda contributing 4%. This study aimed to evaluate the factors impacting malaria control
programs for children under 5 years attending Mubende Regional Referral Hospital in
Central Uganda. A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 162 participants, mainly
caregivers of children under 5 years, was conducted using simple random sampling. A
significant portion (42%) of the children were under 12 months old. Caregivers were
primarily in the 25-40 years age bracket (49.4%), and the majority were married (48.8%).
Approximately 32.1% of caregivers had attained tertiary education, while nearly half (48.8%)
identified as peasants. A high level of awareness about malaria was observed, with 99.4% of
respondents knowledgeable about the disease, and 76.5% recognizing the responsible
vector. Moreover, 75.3% reported that their children slept under bed nets, with 70.4%
confirming daily use. However, low utilization of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) was
attributed to concerns about excessive heat, perceived risks associated with ITN chemicals,
and the cost of nets