Malaria knowledge and long-lasting insecticidal net use in rural communities of central Côte d'Ivoire

Ouattara, Allassane F., Raso, Giovanna, Edi, Constant V.A., Utzinger, Jürg, Tanner, Marcel, Dagnogo, Mamadou and Koudou, Benjamin (2011) 'Malaria knowledge and long-lasting insecticidal net use in rural communities of central Côte d'Ivoire'. Malaria Journal, Vol 10, Issue 1, p. 288.

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Abstract

Abstract
Background: To improve effectiveness of malaria control interventions, it is essential to deepen the knowledge of
contextual factors that govern people’s practice for preventive and curative measures. The aim of this study was to determine factors that influence the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) in three rural communities of Côte
d’Ivoire, two of which benefited from recent interventions.

Methods: The study was carried out in 957 households in three villages (Bozi, N’Dakonankro and Yoho) located in
central Côte d’Ivoire. Indicators of socioeconomic position (SEP), malaria knowledge and practice, placing special
emphasis on LLINs, were investigated during a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Principal component analysis
was used to calculate the SEP of households by means of a list of household assets ownership. The concentration index was used to assess the direction of the association between SEP and a given variable. To compare groups or means, Fisher’s exact test, c2 and Kruskal-Wallis test were used, as appropriate.

Results: Significant differences were found between SEP and reported malaria symptoms, such as fever or hot body, convulsion, anaemia and jaundice (yellow eyes). Individuals from the least poor group cited more often the use of bed nets and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) compared to poorer groups. The mean number of individuals reporting the use of bed nets and LLINs was different between groups with different educational level. Moreover, the mean number of LLINs in a household was influenced by the presence of children below five years of age.

Conclusion: The study not only confirmed that education and SEP play important roles in the prevention and control of malaria and promotion of health in general, but pointed at the basic essential knowledge and the key behavioural elements that should guide education and learning processes among the poorer segments of the population. In turn, such knowledge may change behaviour and lead to an increased utilization of LLINs.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.malariajournal.com/content/10/1/288
Subjects:	QX Parasitology > Insects. Other Parasites > QX 510 Mosquitoes QX Parasitology > Insects. Other Parasites > QX 600 Insect control. Tick control WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 765 Prevention and control
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-10-288
Depositing User:	Users 183 not found.
Date Deposited:	29 Nov 2011 17:06
Last Modified:	25 Jan 2022 09:53
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/2454

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