Malaria Journal (Dec 2011)

Factors associated with mosquito net use by individuals in households owning nets in Ethiopia

  • Graves Patricia M,
  • Ngondi Jeremiah M,
  • Hwang Jimee,
  • Getachew Asefaw,
  • Gebre Teshome,
  • Mosher Aryc W,
  • Patterson Amy E,
  • Shargie Estifanos B,
  • Tadesse Zerihun,
  • Wolkon Adam,
  • Reithinger Richard,
  • Emerson Paul M,
  • Richards Frank O

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-10-354
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1
p. 354

Abstract

Read online

Abstract Background Ownership of insecticidal mosquito nets has dramatically increased in Ethiopia since 2006, but the proportion of persons with access to such nets who use them has declined. It is important to understand individual level net use factors in the context of the home to modify programmes so as to maximize net use. Methods Generalized linear latent and mixed models (GLLAMM) were used to investigate net use using individual level data from people living in net-owning households from two surveys in Ethiopia: baseline 2006 included 12,678 individuals from 2,468 households and a sub-sample of the Malaria Indicator Survey (MIS) in 2007 included 14,663 individuals from 3,353 households. Individual factors (age, sex, pregnancy); net factors (condition, age, net density); household factors (number of rooms [2006] or sleeping spaces [2007], IRS, women's knowledge and school attendance [2007 only], wealth, altitude); and cluster level factors (rural or urban) were investigated in univariate and multi-variable models for each survey. Results In 2006, increased net use was associated with: age 25-49 years (adjusted (a) OR = 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-1.7) compared to children U5; female gender (aOR = 1.4; 95% CI 1.2-1.5); fewer nets with holes (Ptrend = 0.002); and increasing net density (Ptrend [all nets in HH good] = 1.6; 95% CI 1.2-2.1); increasing net density (Ptrend [per additional space] = 0.6, 95% CI 0.5-0.7); more old nets (aOR [all nets in HH older than 12 months] = 0.5; 95% CI 0.3-0.7); and increasing household altitude (Ptrend Conclusion In both surveys, net use was more likely by women, if nets had fewer holes and were at higher net per person density within households. School-age children and young adults were much less likely to use a net. Increasing availability of nets within households (i.e. increasing net density), and improving net condition while focusing on education and promotion of net use, especially in school-age children and young adults in rural areas, are crucial areas for intervention to ensure maximum net use and consequent reduction of malaria transmission.

Keywords