Utilisation of insecticide treated nets among pregnant women in Gulu: a post conflict district in northern Uganda

Abstract

Background: Malaria during pregnancy causes severe anaemia, placental malaria or death to the mother while the fetus may be aborted or stillborn. Objective: To establish the prevalence and factors associated with Insecticide Treated Net (ITN) utilisation among pregnant women in a post conflict Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps of Gulu district. Methods: We conducted cross-sectional study in 20 IDP camps in which 769 pregnant women were interviewed for ITN utilisation the night before the survey. The 20 IDP camps were selected using simple random sampling technique as clusters. Households that had pregnant women were then consecutively selected. Data were entered in EpiData 3.1 and analyzed using STATA11. Results: 35% of pregnant women (95% CI 31% -38%) had utilised ITNs. Factors that promoted ITN utilisation includes: antenatal visit (AOR 1.90, p-value 0.000); ITN awareness (AOR 1.57, p-value 0.011), and willingness to purchase ITN (AOR 2.12, p-value 0.000). Factors which hinder ITN utilisation were: hours taken to reach health centre (AOR 0.64, p-value 0.050) and being single/widow/divorced (AOR 0.22, p-value 0.000). Conclusion: Majority of the respondents were not utilising ITN. Therefore, leaders in Gulu district should encourage pregnant woman to acquire and use ITN to reduce their vulnerability to malaria.

Utilization of Long-Lasting Insecticide Treated Net and Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women in Malarious Kebeles in Awabel District, North-West Ethiopia, 2017

“…. This is consistent with the study conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa [9] Northern Uganda [23], Nigeria [25,26], Adama woreda and selected malaria prone area in Ethiopia [27,28]. This might be due to knowledgeable pregnant women may know the consequences of malaria in pregnancy if they did not use LLINs.…”

“…2.06-9.43]. This is almost consistent with the study conducted in Uganda [23]. This might increase the health facility visits which may about malaria and LLITNs.…”

“…Pregnant women who had ANC follow up for the current pregnancy was almost 2 times more likely to utilize LLITNs than those who had no ANC follow up for current pregnancy [ AOR = 1.89; 95% CI; 1.04-3.44]. This is almost congruent with the study conducted in Uganda [23]. This might lead to increase the opportunity of getting information on how to use LLINs [2].…”

Trend of declining bed net utilization among pregnant women in Ethiopia: new data from the Arba Minch Health and Demographic Surveillance System, 2010–2016

“…Studies in different areas of Nigeria showed that utilization of bed nets among pregnant women is 44.2% in Ibadan, 35.3% in Imo, 21.3% in Edo state, and 44% nationwide [9][10][11][12]. Utilization of bed nets among pregnant women in Bungoma County Kenya is 82.5%, Kilifi district, Kenya is 70.5%, in Gulu Uganda is 35%, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is 78.4%, in the Buea Health District, Cameroon is 83.4%, Ghana is 20%, and Sudan is 11.5% [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. In different parts of Ethiopia bed net utilization among pregnant women indicated that 72.5% in Damot Pulasa District, 23.2% in Oromia and Amhara Region, 73.3% in Eastern Ethiopia, 52.3% in Itang, Gambella region [3,7,9,19].…”

Determinants of Uptake of Malaria Preventive Interventions among Pregnant Women in Eastern Uganda

“…Lower rates of usage were however reported in a study conducted in Gulu district in Northern Uganda where only 35% of the pregnant women used ITNs [21]. This low utilisation of ITNs in Northern Uganda could be because the study was conducted in an internally displaced peoples (IDP) camp, where the exchange and selling of ITNs to meet other immediate basic needs such as food is a common practice [21,22].…”