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    Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2009 Apr;80(4):547-54.

    Distance threshold for the effect of urban agriculture on elevated self-reported malaria prevalence in Accra, Ghana.

    Stoler J, Weeks JR, Getis A, Hill AG.

    Department of Geography, San Diego State University, California 92182, USA. stoler@rohan.sdsu.edu

    Irrigated urban agriculture (UA), which has helped alleviate poverty and increase food security in rapidly urbanizing sub-Saharan Africa, may inadvertently support malaria vectors. Previous studies have not identified a variable distance effect on malaria prevalence from UA. This study examines the relationships between self-reported malaria information for 3,164 women surveyed in Accra, Ghana, in 2003, and both household characteristics and proximity to sites of UA. Malaria self-reports are associated with age, education, overall health, socioeconomic status, and solid waste disposal method. The odds of self-reported malaria are significantly higher for women living within 1 km of UA compared with all women living near an irrigation source, the association disappearing beyond this critical distance. Malaria prevalence is often elevated in communities within 1 km of UA despite more favorable socio-economic characteristics than communities beyond 1 km. Neighborhoods within 1 km of UA should be reconsidered as a priority for malaria-related care.

    PMID: 19346373 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

    PMCID: 2714825

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