Objective.

To evaluate the effectiveness of a nursing intervention, against routine care, to improve knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) in malaria prevention in an Emberá Katío community from the department of Córdoba, Colombia.

Methods.

This was an intervention study with quasi-experimental design with control group, conducted in three phases: (I) design of the educational intervention, (II) content validation of the educational intervention through expert judgment, and (III) execution of a quasi-experimental study with two groups: experimental (n = 60) and control (n = 58). The intervention consisted in four modules taught in person, using educational strategies, like classes, guided discussions, workshops, and a booklet designed for the study. The control group received the routine care provided by the Secretariat of Health. The study used the instrument by the Pan-American Health Organization “Survey on knowledge, attitudes, and practices in addressing malaria in indigenous communities” to measure pre- and post-intervention scores.

Results.

The four modules of the educational intervention obtained Content Validity Indices between 0.83 and 0.90 that are considered adequate. The General Linear Models of repeated measures showed positive effect of the educational intervention on the KAP scores (p < 0.001), with an effect size of 91% in knowledge, 49% in attitudes, 85% in practices, and 93% in the total score.

Conclusion.

The educational intervention proved effective to improve KAPs in malaria prevention in the Emberá Katío community from the department of Córdoba.

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