Centre for Malaria Research, Institute of Health Research, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, Institute of Health Research, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2022 Mar 27;22(1):258. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-04586-2.
Malaria during pregnancy is a major cause of maternal morbidity globally and leads to poor birth outcomes. The World Health Organization has recommended the use of insecticide treated bed nets (ITN) as one of the effective malaria preventive strategies among pregnant women in malaria endemic areas. This study, therefore, seeks to examine the individual and household factors associated with the use of ITNs among pregnant women in Ghana.
Data for this study was obtained from the 2019 Ghana Malaria Indicator Survey (GMIS) conducted between September 25 and November 24, 2019. The weighted sample comprised 353 pregnant women aged 15-49 years. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 22 using both descriptive and multilevel logistics regression modelling. Statistically significant level was set at p < 0.05.
The study found that 49.2% of pregnant women in Ghana use ITN to prevent malaria. Pregnant women aged 35-49 years (AOR = 3.403, CI: 1.191-9.725), those with no formal education (AOR = 5.585, CI = 1.315-23.716), and those who had secondary education (AOR = 3.509, CI = 1.076-11.440) had higher odds of using ITN. Similarly, higher odds of ITN usage was found among who belonged to the Akan ethnic group (AOR = 7.234, CI = 1.497-34.955), dwell in male-headed households (AOR = 2.232, CI = 1.105-4.508) and those whose household heads are aged 60-69 years (AOR = 4.303, CI = 1.160-15.966). However, pregnant women who resided in urban areas (AOR = 0.355, CI = 0.216-0.582), those whose household heads aged 40-49 years (AOR = 0.175, CI = 0.066-0.467) and those who belonged to richer (AOR =0.184, CI = 0.050-0.679) and richest (AOR = 0.107, CI = 0.021-0.552) households had lower odds of using ITN for malaria prevention.
Individual socio-demographic and household factors such as pregnant women's age, educational level, place of residence, ethnicity, sex and age of household head, and household wealth quintile are associated with the use of ITN for malaria prevention among pregnant women. These factors ought to be considered in strengthening malaria prevention campaigns and develop new interventions to help increase ITN utilization among vulnerable population living in malaria- endemic areas.
怀孕期间疟疾是全球产妇发病率的主要原因，会导致不良的生育结局。世界卫生组织建议在疟疾流行地区的孕妇中使用经杀虫剂处理的蚊帐（ITN）作为有效的疟疾预防策略之一。因此，本研究旨在研究加纳孕妇使用 ITN 的个人和家庭因素。
本研究的数据来自于 2019 年 9 月 25 日至 11 月 24 日期间进行的 2019 年加纳疟疾指标调查（GMIS）。加权样本包括 353 名年龄在 15-49 岁的孕妇。使用 SPSS 版本 22 进行数据分析，同时使用描述性和多水平逻辑回归建模。统计显著性水平设为 p < 0.05。
研究发现，加纳 49.2%的孕妇使用 ITN 预防疟疾。35-49 岁的孕妇（AOR=3.403，CI：1.191-9.725）、没有接受过正规教育的孕妇（AOR=5.585，CI：1.315-23.716）和接受过中学教育的孕妇（AOR=3.509，CI：1.076-11.440）使用 ITN 的可能性更高。同样，属于阿坎族（AOR=7.234，CI：1.497-34.955）、居住在男性户主家庭（AOR=2.232，CI：1.105-4.508）和户主年龄在 60-69 岁的孕妇（AOR=4.303，CI：1.160-15.966）使用 ITN 的可能性更高。然而，居住在城市地区的孕妇（AOR=0.355，CI：0.216-0.582）、户主年龄在 40-49 岁的孕妇（AOR=0.175，CI：0.066-0.467）和属于较富裕（AOR=0.184，CI：0.050-0.679）和最富裕（AOR=0.107，CI：0.021-0.552）家庭的孕妇使用 ITN 预防疟疾的可能性较低。
个人社会人口学和家庭因素，如孕妇年龄、教育程度、居住地、族裔、性别和户主年龄以及家庭财富五分位数，与孕妇使用 ITN 预防疟疾有关。在加强疟疾预防运动和制定新的干预措施以帮助增加疟疾流行地区弱势人群对 ITN 的利用时，应考虑这些因素。
