Knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets among pregnant women and children in rural Southwestern Uganda
Abstract Background The burden of malaria in Uganda remains unacceptably high, especially among children and pregnant women. To prevent malaria related complications, household possession and use of Insecticide Treated mosquito Nets (ITNs) has become a common practice in the country. Despite the ava...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2017-10-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-017-4824-4 |
| _version_ | 1819243353035767808 |
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| author | Ivan M. Taremwa Scholastic Ashaba Harriet O. Adrama Carlrona Ayebazibwe Daniel Omoding Imelda Kemeza Jane Yatuha Thadeus Turuho Noni E. MacDonald Robert Hilliard |
| author_facet | Ivan M. Taremwa Scholastic Ashaba Harriet O. Adrama Carlrona Ayebazibwe Daniel Omoding Imelda Kemeza Jane Yatuha Thadeus Turuho Noni E. MacDonald Robert Hilliard |
| author_sort | Ivan M. Taremwa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The burden of malaria in Uganda remains unacceptably high, especially among children and pregnant women. To prevent malaria related complications, household possession and use of Insecticide Treated mosquito Nets (ITNs) has become a common practice in the country. Despite the availability of ITNs, malaria remains a foremost public health concern in Uganda. We sought to explore knowledge, attitude, and behaviour towards the use of ITNs as a nightly malaria prevention strategy among pregnant women and children under five years of age in Isingiro district, Southwestern Uganda. Materials and Methods This was a community based, descriptive cross-sectional study, in which households with children under 5 years, and/or pregnant women were enrolled. We used a structured questionnaire to collect data on participants’ understanding of the causes, signs and symptoms of malaria; use of ITNs to prevent malaria; attitudes and behaviours towards the use of ITNs. We also conducted key informant interviews (KIIs) to get in-depth understanding of responses from the participants. We analysed quantitative data using STATA version 12.Qualitative findings from the KIIs were transcribed and translated, and manually analysed using thematic content analysis. Results Of the 369 households enrolled, 98.4% (N = 363) households had children under five. Most participants (41.2%, N = 152) were in the 21–30 age category (mean age; 32.2 years). 98.1% (N = 362) of the respondents considered ITNs a key malaria prevention strategy. The ITN possession rate was 84.0% (N = 310), of these, 66.1% (N = 205) consistently used them. 39% of the respondents did not have a positive attitude towards ITNs. Conclusions Although 84.0% of the respondents possessed ITNs, many were not consistently using them. To this, there is need to engage all stakeholders (including cultural leaders, community health workers, religious leaders and the government) in the malaria prevention campaigns using ITNs through: a) government’s concerted effort to ensure universal access of right fit ITNs, b) end-user directed health education to emphasize positive attributes of ITN use, c) telling the ITN success stories to improve on the usage. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T14:54:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-db637fe0a11b41f59fb055f337e3bcb3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T14:54:21Z |
| publishDate | 2017-10-01 |
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| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-db637fe0a11b41f59fb055f337e3bcb32022-12-21T17:42:50ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582017-10-011711810.1186/s12889-017-4824-4Knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets among pregnant women and children in rural Southwestern UgandaIvan M. Taremwa0Scholastic Ashaba1Harriet O. Adrama2Carlrona Ayebazibwe3Daniel Omoding4Imelda Kemeza5Jane Yatuha6Thadeus Turuho7Noni E. MacDonald8Robert Hilliard9Institute of Allied Health Sciences, International Health Sciences UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry, Mbarara University of Science and TechnologyInfectious Disease Research CollaborationDepartment of Information Technology, Uganda Christian University MukonoInfectious Disease Research CollaborationDepartment of Educational Foundations and Psychology, Mbarara University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Biology, Mbarara University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, Mbarara University of Science and TechnologyDalhousie University, MicroResearch International and IWK Health centreHospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, OntarioAbstract Background The burden of malaria in Uganda remains unacceptably high, especially among children and pregnant women. To prevent malaria related complications, household possession and use of Insecticide Treated mosquito Nets (ITNs) has become a common practice in the country. Despite the availability of ITNs, malaria remains a foremost public health concern in Uganda. We sought to explore knowledge, attitude, and behaviour towards the use of ITNs as a nightly malaria prevention strategy among pregnant women and children under five years of age in Isingiro district, Southwestern Uganda. Materials and Methods This was a community based, descriptive cross-sectional study, in which households with children under 5 years, and/or pregnant women were enrolled. We used a structured questionnaire to collect data on participants’ understanding of the causes, signs and symptoms of malaria; use of ITNs to prevent malaria; attitudes and behaviours towards the use of ITNs. We also conducted key informant interviews (KIIs) to get in-depth understanding of responses from the participants. We analysed quantitative data using STATA version 12.Qualitative findings from the KIIs were transcribed and translated, and manually analysed using thematic content analysis. Results Of the 369 households enrolled, 98.4% (N = 363) households had children under five. Most participants (41.2%, N = 152) were in the 21–30 age category (mean age; 32.2 years). 98.1% (N = 362) of the respondents considered ITNs a key malaria prevention strategy. The ITN possession rate was 84.0% (N = 310), of these, 66.1% (N = 205) consistently used them. 39% of the respondents did not have a positive attitude towards ITNs. Conclusions Although 84.0% of the respondents possessed ITNs, many were not consistently using them. To this, there is need to engage all stakeholders (including cultural leaders, community health workers, religious leaders and the government) in the malaria prevention campaigns using ITNs through: a) government’s concerted effort to ensure universal access of right fit ITNs, b) end-user directed health education to emphasize positive attributes of ITN use, c) telling the ITN success stories to improve on the usage.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-017-4824-4Malaria preventionKnowledgeAttitudePracticesITNs useChildren under five |
| spellingShingle | Ivan M. Taremwa Scholastic Ashaba Harriet O. Adrama Carlrona Ayebazibwe Daniel Omoding Imelda Kemeza Jane Yatuha Thadeus Turuho Noni E. MacDonald Robert Hilliard Knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets among pregnant women and children in rural Southwestern Uganda BMC Public Health Malaria prevention Knowledge Attitude Practices ITNs use Children under five |
| title | Knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets among pregnant women and children in rural Southwestern Uganda |
| title_full | Knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets among pregnant women and children in rural Southwestern Uganda |
| title_fullStr | Knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets among pregnant women and children in rural Southwestern Uganda |
| title_full_unstemmed | Knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets among pregnant women and children in rural Southwestern Uganda |
| title_short | Knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets among pregnant women and children in rural Southwestern Uganda |
| title_sort | knowledge attitude and behaviour towards the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets among pregnant women and children in rural southwestern uganda |
| topic | Malaria prevention Knowledge Attitude Practices ITNs use Children under five |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-017-4824-4 |
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