Sociospatial determinants of knowledge and perceptions of COVID-19 impacts among childbearing women in urban and rural areas of the Malagasy middle east

Background: With regard to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Madagascar, little is known about the knowledge and perceptions of and impacts on childbearing women. People's knowledge of COVID-19 can have an impact on their attitudes towards seeking care. The aim of the current study is to determine the knowledge of COVID-19 and associated determinants of childbearing women in Moramanga. Methods A cross-sectional study based on questionnaire administration was used in urban and rural areas of Moramanga, a district located 112 km from the capital, among childbearing women. Data collection was conducted from August to October 2021. A scoring method was applied to evaluate their knowledge level and perceptions about COVID-19 and its impacts on their lives. A binary stepwise logistic regression was performed to determine the sociodemographic and sociospatial determinants of their knowledge level towards COVID-19. Results A total of 885 childbearing women from urban and rural Moramanga areas were interviewed. Approximately 49.8% (441/885) lived in urban areas, and 50.2% (444/885) lived in rural areas. Approximately 35.3% (322/885) of the participants had a good level of knowledge of COVID-19. Multivariate analysis showed that the probability of having good level of knowledge of COVID-19 had a significant statistical association (p value < 0.05) with living in an urban area [AOR: 2.86; 95% CI (1.87–4.40)], telephone ownership [AOR: 1.71; 95% CI (0.16–1.1)], radio ownership [AOR 2.22; 95% CI (1.44–3.43)], watching TV [AOR = 1.95; 95% CI (1.34–2.83)] and reading journal paper [AOR = 3.74 95% CI (1.69–8.3)]. Conclusions Levels of knowledge about COVID-19 among women of reproductive age in the middle east area of Madagascar are related to sociospatial determinants. Almost a third of the sample had a good level of knowledge of COVID-19. Access to information and telecommunication technologies increases the chances of being better informed about the disease. To avoid the negative repercussions of COVID-19 and infectious disease epidemics on maternal and child health, it is necessary to improve the awareness of childbearing women and other categories of the population about these diseases. This implies taking into account the geographic and demographic characteristics of the populations.