MCD Global Health, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
MCD Global Health, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
Malar J. 2023 Oct 25;22(1):323. doi: 10.1186/s12936-023-04755-4.
Indoor residual spraying (IRS) is a common vector control strategy in countries with high malaria burden. Historically, social norms have prevented women from working in IRS programmes. The Bioko Island Malaria Elimination Project has actively sought to reduce gender inequality in malaria control operations for many years by promoting women's participation in IRS.
This study investigated the progress of female engagement and compared spray productivity by gender from 2010 to 2021, using inferential tests and multivariable regression. Spray productivity was measured by rooms sprayed by spray operator per day (RSOD), houses sprayed by spray operator per day (HSOD), and the daily productivity ratio (DPR), defined as the ratio of RSOD to HSOD, which standardized productivity by house size.
The percentage of women participating in IRS has increased over time. The difference in DPR comparing male and female spray operators was only statistically significant (p < 0.05) for two rounds, where the value was higher for women compared to men. Regression analyses showed marginal, significant differences in DPR between men and women, but beta coefficients were extremely small and thus not indicative of a measurable effect of gender on operational performance.
The quantitative analyses of spray productivity are counter to stigmatizing beliefs that women are less capable than male counterparts during IRS spray rounds. The findings from this research support the participation of women in IRS campaigns, and a renewed effort to implement equitable policies and practices that intentionally engage women in vector control activities.
室内滞留喷洒（IRS）是疟疾负担较高国家常用的病媒控制策略。历史上，社会规范阻止女性参与 IRS 项目。比奥科岛疟疾消除项目多年来一直积极寻求减少疟疾控制行动中的性别不平等，促进女性参与 IRS。
本研究调查了女性参与度的进展，并使用推断性检验和多变量回归比较了 2010 年至 2021 年按性别划分的喷雾生产力。喷雾生产力通过每位喷雾员每天喷洒的房间数（RSOD）、每位喷雾员每天喷洒的房屋数（HSOD）和每日生产力比（DPR）来衡量，DPR 定义为 RSOD 与 HSOD 的比值，通过房屋大小标准化了生产力。
参与 IRS 的女性比例随着时间的推移而增加。只有两轮的男性和女性喷雾员的 DPR 差异在统计学上有意义（p<0.05），女性的 DPR 值高于男性。回归分析显示，男性和女性之间的 DPR 存在边际显著差异，但β系数极小，因此不能说明性别对操作性能有可衡量的影响。
喷雾生产力的定量分析与认为女性在 IRS 喷雾轮次中能力不如男性的污名化观念背道而驰。这项研究的结果支持女性参与 IRS 运动，并再次努力实施公平政策和实践，有意让女性参与病媒控制活动。
