Factors Influencing Utilisation of Insecticide Treated Mosquito Net in Agona East-Central Region

Abstract

Background Many countries across Sub Saharan Africa are rapidly stepping up insecticide –treated nets (ITN) coverage to combat malaria and Ghana is not left out in this trail. Studies have been done in Ghana on ITN utilization but a few of such studies have been done in the Agona East District of the Central of Ghana. This study was conducted to assess factors influencing the utilisation of ITNs in the Agona East district in the Central Region of Ghana, an area with an in-between in terms of household bed net utilisation in Ghana. Method A cross-sectional study with a household as the unit of the study, was done between the period February 2015 and July 2015 in Agona East District of the Central Region of Ghana. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative arm included questions that were used to establish the demographic characteristics of household heads, household factors affecting ITN use and level of awareness in terms of use. Descriptive statistics were used to describe house hold net use and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis used to identify factors associated with use and non- use of nets. A qualitative component consisting of questions used to assess the level of awareness, observation of nets at home, some open ended questions related to use, and key informant interview provided further understanding of the reasons for ITNs use and non-use. Results The study covered 390 households inhabiting 1068 persons including 198 under- fives, 519 non-pregnant women and 12 pregnant women in the Agona East District in the Central Region of Ghana. The ITN possession in households was 76.2% and utilisation in households was 38.2%; 50% utilisation among pregnant women and 52.4 % utilisation among children under five. Significantly households with heads who have discussed net use with their household or friends are more likely to have slept under a net (aOR= 3.50 CI 1.84-6.65). The most common reason for non-use of ITN identified were the hot weather conditions, not having a net and the cost. Those who use the net also did so because they believed it protected them from mosquito bites. Conclusion The low ITN utilisation compared to possession in the study area shows a clear gap between possession and usage. This suggests that campaigns and messages that persuade recipients to use ITNs will contribute towards closing the gap between ownership and usage alongside factors such as household net density and household size.