Free distribution of insecticide treated bed nets to pregnant women in Kinshasa: an effective way to achieve 80% use by women and their newborns

Abstract

Summaryobjective To determine whether long lasting insecticide treated bed nets (LLINs) distributed free of charge to pregnant women at their first antenatal clinic visit in Kinshasa, DRC are used from the time of distribution to delivery and 6 months after delivery.methods Women were enrolled into a cohort study at their first antenatal care (ANC) visit and provided LLINs free of charge. Reported use of these nets was then measured at the time of delivery (n = 328) and in a random sample of women (n = 100) 6 months post-delivery using an interviewer administered, structured questionnaire.results At baseline, only 25% of women reported having slept under a bed net the night before the interview. At the time of delivery, after being provided an LLIN for free, this increased to 79%. Six months post-delivery (n = 100), 80% of women reported sleeping under a net with a child under the age of 5 the night before the interview.conclusions Freely distributed bed nets are acceptable, feasible and result in high usage. Free distribution of bed nets during antenatal clinic visits may be a highly effective way to rapidly increase the use of bed nets among both pregnant women and their newborn infants in areas with high levels of ANC attendance.keywords insecticide treated bed nets, antenatal care, malaria prevention

Determination of the predictive factors of long-lasting insecticide-treated net ownership and utilisation in the Bamenda Health District of Cameroon

“…It has been explained in the Cross River state of Nigeria [29] that educated parents may be better able to appreciate the importance of treated nets in malaria prevention and to understand the information included in the public awareness campaigns which will eventually influence bednet usage by their families. Such associations have also been shown by in Kinshasa-DRC by Pettifor et al [30] and Ndjinga and Minakawa [31] and in Mfou-Cameroon by Tchinda et al [3]. …”

The use and misuse of mass distributed free insecticide-treated bed nets in a semi-urban community in Rivers State, Nigeria

“…[5] This shows that the free distribution of the nets is not only cost-effective, [18] but also a fast way of reaching the ITN coverage targets. [19] The study also showed that a large number of the nets were not hanged, improperly deployed and unoccupied. Although this is consistent with the findings in several other communities in Nigeria, [13] it is however contrary to the findings of two other surveys in the State, [20] and elsewhere in the Niger delta.…”

Factors Affecting the Delivery, Access, and Use of Interventions to Prevent Malaria in Pregnancy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The included intervention studies evaluated two main channels for delivering ITNs to pregnant women: campaign delivery (non-targeted) [89],[92]–[94] and routine delivery to pregnant women through ANC services (targeted), with three alternative mechanisms evaluated at ANCs: distribution of free nets with [95]–[97] or without social marketing [98],[99], and distribution of subsidised vouchers [83],[84],[100]–[102]. One study compared the impact of ANC delivery alone versus ANC delivery plus community-based distribution of subsidised nets in Niger (Table 3).…”