Abstract / Summary
Abstract Background University students are at increased risk of malaria infection because they are highly exposed to both endemic and non-endemic malaria areas due to frequent travel back and forth between their home and university. Methods An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted among 374 undergraduate regular students of Debre Markos University, Ethiopia, from April to June 2026. The study followed a multi-stage sampling design and a systematic random sampling procedure. A structured, pretested and self-administered questionnaire was designed by using the world health organization malaria guidelines and Malaria indicator survey. Knowledge, attitude and practice of respondents were assessed by using standard scoring system. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done to see the association between independent variables and the outcome variable. The adjusted odd ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were reported with P-value less than P < 0.05. Results Among 374 participants, 237 (63.4%) of them had good knowledge, 209 (55.9%) had a positive attitude while 184 (49.2%) had good preventive practices. Being male and draining stagnant water were independently associated with good knowledge. Draining stagnant water was independently linked to positive attitude to malaria (AOR = 0.50; 95% CI: 0.32–0.78). Regarding preventive practices, malaria campaigns participation (AOR = 0.18; 95% CI: 0.08–0.39), use of insecticide treated bed nets (AOR = 0.14; 95% CI: 0.07–0.28), draining stagnant water (AOR = 0.07; 95% CI: 0.03–0.16), community support for malaria control (AOR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.17–0.91), use of mosquito repellents (AOR = 0.17; 95% CI: 0.09–0.30) and closing windows at night (AOR = 0.18; 95% CI: 0.08–0.40) were independently associated with good malaria prevention practices. Conclusions Most students had good knowledge and a positive attitude, but less than half had good preventive practices. There is a need to reinforce knowledge and encourage community members to adopt preventive measures against malaria.