Manu Grace, Boamah-Kaali Ellen Abrafi, Febir Lawrence Gyabaa, Ayipah Emmanuel, Owusu-Agyei Seth, Asante Kwaku Poku
Kintampo Health Research Centre, P.O. Box 200, Kintampo, Ghana.
Malar Res Treat. 2017;2017:7481210. doi: 10.1155/2017/7481210. Epub 2017 Jul 30.
Malaria in pregnancy leads to low birth weight, premature birth, anaemia, and maternal and neonatal mortality. Use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) during pregnancy is one of the proven interventions to reduce the malaria burden. However, Ghana has not achieved its target for ITN use among pregnant women.
A qualitative study was conducted in seven communities purposively selected from the middle belt of Ghana. Participants who had delivered in the six months prior to this study were selected. In all, seven focus group discussions and twenty-four in-depth interviews were conducted between June and August 2010.
Respondents knew of the importance of ITNs and other malaria-preventive strategies. Factors such as financial access and missed opportunities of free distribution denied some pregnant women the opportunity to own or use an ITN. Reasons for not using ITNs during pregnancy included discomfort resulting from heat, smell of the net, and difficulty in hanging the net. Participants maintained their ITNs by preventing holes in the nets, retreatment, and infrequent washing.
Pregnant women know about the causes and prevention of malaria. However, this knowledge is not transformed into practice due to lack of access to ITNs and sleeping discomforts among other logistical constraints.
妊娠疟疾会导致低出生体重、早产、贫血以及孕产妇和新生儿死亡。孕期使用经杀虫剂处理的蚊帐（ITN）是已证实的减轻疟疾负担的干预措施之一。然而，加纳尚未实现孕妇使用ITN的目标。
在加纳中部地区有目的地选取了7个社区进行定性研究。选取了在本研究前6个月内分娩的参与者。2010年6月至8月期间，共进行了7次焦点小组讨论和24次深入访谈。
受访者知晓ITN及其他疟疾预防策略的重要性。诸如经济条件受限以及错过免费发放机会等因素，使一些孕妇没有机会拥有或使用ITN。孕期不使用ITN的原因包括受热不适、蚊帐气味以及挂蚊帐困难。参与者通过防止蚊帐出现破洞、重新处理和减少清洗次数来维护他们的ITN。
孕妇了解疟疾的成因和预防方法。然而，由于无法获得ITN以及睡眠不适等其他后勤方面的限制，这种认知并未转化为实际行动。
