Early diagnosis and correct treatment of malaria is a key strategy for malaria control in endemic countries worldwide. But this strategy requires an understanding of community care-seeking practices: how caregivers recognize and respond to childhood malaria symptoms, what factors shape their care-seeking behavior, and how they choose among available treatment options. Program planners must understand the barriers to optimal care so that interventions can be designed to reduce those barriers. Sound behavioral research on the management of malaria in the community can provide this information.

This Guide is a manual for conducting such research. It is written for investigators who will plan and implement a qualitative study on how people seek care for young children who have fever or convulsions—key symptoms of malaria. It provides a systematic yet efficient research protocol for researchers to use in the field and also suggests ways to organize the research, analyze the findings, and write preliminary and final reports. The Guide is intended for researchers who already have experience with qualitative data collection, recording, and analysis, but who may not have field expertise in investigating care-seeking for malaria.