Insecticide Treated Nets Possession and Utilization among Pregnant Women in Enugu Nigeria: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Pregnant women, particularly the primigravida are doubly at risk of malaria. The use of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) among pregnant women take into account the community attitudes and beliefs about malaria.  This study examined the socio-demographic, cultural and economic factors that influence the use of ITN among pregnant women in Enugu, Nigeria.Methods: The study design was descriptive cross-sectional and it involved 290 ante natal clinic attendees in three facilities selected by simple random sampling method and data collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Results: The mean age of respondents was 30±5.9 years and they exhibited an overall ITN knowledge of 254 (87.9%). The overall ITN utilization rate among the pregnant women was 20.7%. About 88.3% had no fear about ITN use, but 50 (18.5%) and 41 (15.2%) of them gave feeling of “suffocation” and “heat” respectively as reasons for not using ITN while 140(49.5%) of respondents expressed preference for white ITN colour. Conclusion: Government and other stakeholders should make ITNs available and affordable to all pregnant women, while decisions about the nets should consider their shape, size, designs and colour.

Key words: Insecticide Treated Net, Utilization, Pregnant women, Enugu