Ascribing quantitative value to community participation: a case study of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) initiative in five African countries.

OBJECTIVES: There are two objectives. The first is to outline the processes involved in the estimation and use of quantitative values to measure community participation. The community participation value (Cp value) is a new concept being introduced in this study. The second is to compare the levels of community participation in the RBM programmes in five African countries, namely, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. STUDY
DESIGN: The study design is based on the Rifkin and Pridmore Spidergram model for assessing the level of community participation in a development programme.
METHODS: The methods involved a structured review of web-based and published secondary data. Appropriate indices were used to capture the extent of malaria control in the respective countries. Comparisons were then made between the Cp values and the results obtained for malaria control in order to arrive at a judgement of the significance of community participation to the success of the RBM programmes.
RESULTS: The findings from this study showed that community participation was present in varying degrees in the RBM programmes of the different countries. The computed Cp values for the five countries under consideration were as follows: Uganda (12.5), Ghana (10.5), Tanzania (10.0), Nigeria (9.0) and Burkina Faso (8.0). Based on a maximum attainable Cp value of 25, it was observed that the level of community participation in the RBM initiative is still generally low in the countries studied.
CONCLUSIONS: Although community participation was present and relevant to the Roll Back Malaria initiative, other factors appeared to have more significant influence on the success, or otherwise, of the initiative. Such factors include the availability of financial resources for malaria control, competent health personnel, and the general health infrastructure available in a given country.