BackgroundPoor people bear a disproportionate burden of malaria and prevention measures may not reach them well. A study carried out to examine the socio-economic factors associated with ownership and use of treated bed nets in Cross River and Bauchi States of Nigeria took place soon after campaigns to distribute treated bed nets.MethodsA cross-sectional household survey about childhood illnesses among mothers of children less than four years of age and focus group discussions in 90 communities in each of the two states asked about household ownership of treated bed nets and their use for children under four years old. Bivariate and multivariate analyses examined associations between socio-economic and other variables and these outcomes in each state.ResultsSome 72% of 7,685 households in Cross River and 87% of 5,535 households in Bauchi State had at least one treated bed net. In Cross River, urban households were more likely to possess bed nets, as were less-poor households (enough food in the last week), those with a male head, and those from communities with a formal health facility. In Bauchi, less-poor households and those with a more educated head were more likely to possess nets. In households with nets, only about half of children under four years old always slept under a net: 54% of 11,267 in Cross River and 57% of 11,277 in Bauchi. Factors associated with use of nets for young children in Cross River were less-poor households, fewer young children in the household, more education of the father, antenatal care of the mother, and younger age of the child, while in Bauchi the factors were a mother with more education and antenatal care, and younger age of the child. Some focus groups complained of distribution difficulties, and many described misconceptions about adverse effects of nets as an important reason for not using them.ConclusionDespite a recent campaign to distribute treated bed nets, disadvantaged households were less likely to possess them and to use them for young children. Efforts are needed to reach these households and to dispel fears about dangers of using treated nets.
A survey on clinical complaints arising from beniseed consumption by 860 males randomly selected from residents and indigenes of Obudu, Ogoja in Cross River State and Vandekya, in Benue State, all in Nigeria, was conducted. Traditionally, there had been an age long complaint by men from these areas of painful urination upon consumption of beniseed soup. The results obtained in the survey showed that 804 (93.49%) respondents aged 18 years and above, had consumed beniseed in its various processed forms. Of this number, 492 (61.19%) claimed to have experienced some discomfort ranging from painful urination (343, 84.0%), abdominal upset (26, 6.4%), heartburn (20, 4.9%), constipation (15, 3.7%) and flatulence (4, 0.98%). Also, 408 (82.9%) consumed beniseed as soup, 17 (3.5%) raw, 25 (5.1%) roasted while 42 (8.5%) gave no response to the questionaire. From the survey, 38.7% of respondents who consumed beniseed soup, 41.2% raw beniseed and 52.0% roasted beniseed experienced the discomfort shortly after consumption while 47.8% of those who consumed beniseed soup, 41.2% raw beniseed and 28.0% roasted beniseed had any of these experiences 1-3 days after consumption and the experiences lasted in both cases for 2-7 days. These experiences, particularly on consumption of beniseed soup, was attributed to when the soup was not "properly cooked".
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