Ordinioha Best
Department of Community Medicine, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Ann Afr Med. 2012 Jul-Sep;11(3):163-8. doi: 10.4103/1596-3519.96879.
Insecticide-treated bed net (ITN) is currently distributed free of charge to vulnerable groups in Nigeria, for malaria control. Consistent use of the nets is required for maximum effectiveness; but studies indicate that the nets are often jettisoned in periods of low mosquito activity and high night time temperature. The objective of this study has been to assess the use of mass distributed nets in a semi-urban community in Rivers State, south-south Nigeria, during the late dry season, when mosquito activity is at the lowest in the community.
The study was carried out in Ishiodu - Emohua, using a cross-sectional study design. The data was collected using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire, administered to female head of households in the community, with under-five children.
A total of 170 respondents were studied; they had an average age of 34.3 ± 7.6 years, most were married (86.5%), and had secondary school education (68.2%). All the households owned at least one ITN, and an average of 1.7 nets, with 75.3% of the households owning two or more ITNs. Almost all the nets (99.4%) were obtained free of charge. Of the 170 households that received the nets, 71.8% had hanged the nets as at the time of the survey; 83.6% of these hanged the nets over a bed, while 10.7% used the nets as window curtain. Of the 102 ITNs that were properly deployed, only 27.5% were occupied the night before the survey, by an average of 2.5 persons, mainly under-five children (37.7%).
The distribution of free ITNs has resulted in universal household ownership, but the use of the nets is still very poor. Proper health education is required to encourage the consistent use of the nets, even in hot night, with low mosquito activity.
在尼日利亚，目前免费向弱势群体分发经杀虫剂处理的蚊帐（ITN）以控制疟疾。为达到最大效果，需要持续使用蚊帐；但研究表明，在蚊虫活动较少且夜间温度较高时，蚊帐常被丢弃。本研究的目的是评估在尼日利亚西南部河流州一个半城市社区旱季后期大规模分发的蚊帐的使用情况，此时该社区蚊虫活动处于最低水平。
本研究在伊希奥杜 - 埃莫华进行，采用横断面研究设计。通过向社区中有五岁以下儿童的女性户主发放结构化、由访谈员填写的问卷来收集数据。
共研究了170名受访者；她们的平均年龄为34.3 ± 7.6岁，大多数已婚（86.5%），接受过中学教育（68.2%）。所有家庭至少拥有一顶ITN，平均每户有1.7顶蚊帐，75.3%的家庭拥有两顶或更多ITN。几乎所有蚊帐（99.4%）都是免费获得的。在接受蚊帐的170户家庭中，71.8%在调查时已悬挂蚊帐；其中83.6%将蚊帐挂在床上，10.7%用作窗帘。在102顶正确部署的ITN中，调查前一晚只有27.5%被使用，平均有2.5人使用，主要是五岁以下儿童（37.7%）。
免费ITN的分发使每户家庭都拥有了蚊帐，但蚊帐的使用率仍然很低。需要进行适当的健康教育，以鼓励即使在炎热且蚊虫活动少的夜晚也持续使用蚊帐。
