Tadesse Eshetu Mesfin, Baruda Yirgalem Shibiru, Tadesse Telila Mesfin
ICAP at Columbia University in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Faculty of Health, Medicine, Life Science Maastricht university, Maastricht, Netherlands.
J Health Popul Nutr. 2024 Dec 18;43(1):214. doi: 10.1186/s41043-024-00684-3.
An estimated 40% of the world's population lives in malaria-prone areas, there are 300-500 million malaria episodes worldwide, and at least one million malaria fatalities occur each year which makes malaria is a major public health concern [1]. In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria claims the lives of about 90% of all people worldwide. Today, there is a growing interest in using ITNs as one of the leading strategies for the prevention and control of malaria. Many studies on ITN use and associated factors have shown that factors influencing ITN use differ from place to place, with very few similarities; specifically, there are no studies conducted in the study area on ITN ownership, utilization, or associated factors.
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2023 to June 2023. A multistage sampling technique was employed to recruit the study participants. From twenty Malaria kebeles, six kebeles were selected by the lottery method, and study households were selected by the systematic random sample technique. A total of 770 planned sample sizes were calculated by using a single population formula. A trained data collector was used to collect the data, and the data entry and analysis were performed with SPSS 27.0. Simple frequency distribution and descriptive analyses were performed to describe participants' sociodemographic, ownership, and utilization. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine associations between dependent and independent variables, with a p-value < 0.05 indicating statistical significance.
Data were collected from a total of 766 study participants, for a response rate of 99.5%. The majority (89%) of the respondents had at least one ITN, and 83.5% of the households reported sleeping under the ITN the night preceding the survey. Knowledge about ITN as a preventive agent for malaria [AOR 2.028, 95% CI: 1.010, 4.070], the presence of pregnant mothers in the household [AOR 4.373, 95% CI: 1.70, 11.203], willingness to buy ITN [AOR 2.106, 95% CI: 1.330, 3.335] and home visited by health extension workers [AOR 2.002, 95% CI: 1.228, 4.540] were identified as factors associated with ITN utilization by households.
ITN ownership and utilization were 89% and 83.5%, respectively. Knowledge about the use of the ITN for preventing malaria, the presence of pregnant mothers in the household, willingness to buy the ITN, and home visits by HEW were identified as factors associated with ITN utilization. The ITN distribution for malaria cases and the mechanism for accessing the ITN in the market need to be considered by health authorities. Continuing to apply IEC/BCC interventions to increase the knowledge of the community on the ITN and of home visits and support the proper utilization of the ITN is highly important.
据估计，全球40%的人口生活在疟疾流行地区，全球每年有3亿至5亿疟疾病例，至少100万人死于疟疾，这使得疟疾成为一个主要的公共卫生问题[1]。在撒哈拉以南非洲，疟疾夺去了全球约90%人口的生命。如今，使用经杀虫剂处理的蚊帐（ITN）作为预防和控制疟疾的主要策略之一的兴趣日益浓厚。许多关于ITN使用及其相关因素的研究表明，影响ITN使用的因素因地而异，几乎没有相似之处；具体而言，在研究地区尚未开展关于ITN拥有情况、使用情况或相关因素的研究。
于2023年4月至2023年6月开展了一项基于社区的横断面研究。采用多阶段抽样技术招募研究参与者。从20个疟疾防治小组中，通过抽签法选取6个小组，并采用系统随机抽样技术选取研究家庭。使用单总体公式计算出总共770个计划样本量。由经过培训的数据收集员收集数据，并使用SPSS 27.0进行数据录入和分析。进行简单频率分布和描述性分析以描述参与者的社会人口统计学特征、拥有情况和使用情况。进行双变量和多变量分析以确定因变量和自变量之间的关联，p值<0.05表示具有统计学意义。
共收集了766名研究参与者的数据，回复率为99.5%。大多数（89%）受访者至少拥有一顶ITN，83.5%的家庭报告在调查前一晚睡在ITN下。将对ITN作为疟疾预防剂的认知[AOR 2.028，95%置信区间：1.010，4.070]、家庭中有孕妇[AOR 4.373，95%置信区间：1.70，11.203]、购买ITN的意愿[AOR 2.106，95%置信区间：1.330，3.335]以及健康推广工作者家访[AOR 2.002，95%置信区间：1.228，4.540]确定为与家庭ITN使用相关的因素。
ITN的拥有率和使用率分别为89%和83.5%。对使用ITN预防疟疾的认知、家庭中有孕妇、购买ITN的意愿以及健康推广工作者家访被确定为与ITN使用相关的因素。卫生当局需要考虑针对疟疾病例的ITN分发以及在市场上获取ITN的机制。持续应用信息、教育和宣传/行为改变沟通（IEC/BCC）干预措施以提高社区对ITN的认知以及家访情况，并支持ITN的正确使用非常重要。
