“When I sleep under the net, nothing bothers me; I sleep well and I’m happy”: Senegal’s culture of net use and how inconveniences to net use do not translate to net abandonment

Malaria Journal

Research

Issa Wone¹  Sylvain L Faye²  Bethany Arnold³  Sara Berthe⁴  Rachel Weber⁴  Hannah Koenker⁴  Dana Loll⁵ 

[1] Department of Public Health, University Cheikh Anta DIOP, Dakar, Senegal;Department of Sociology, University Cheikh Anta DIOP, Dakar, Senegal;JHPIEGO, Baltimore, MD, USA;Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, Baltimore, MD, USA;University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA;

关键词: Malaria;    Senegal;    Bed net;    LLIN;    ITN;    Qualitative;    Barriers;    Net culture;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1475-2875-13-357

 received in 2014-03-19, accepted in 2014-08-21,  发布年份 2014

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundDespite recent advances in the fight against the disease, malaria remains a serious threat to the health and well-being of populations in endemic countries. The use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) reduces contact between the vector and humans, thereby reducing transmission of the disease. LLINs have become an essential component of malaria control programmes worldwide.MethodsThe Culture of Net Use study used qualitative and quantitative methods in a longitudinal and iterative design over two phases, in order to capture changes in net use over a year and a half period and covering both dry and rainy seasons. Data were collected from a total of 56 households in eight regions to understand variations due to geographical, cultural, and universal coverage differences. At the time of the data collection, the universal coverage campaign had been completed in six of the eight regions (Dakar and Thies excluded).ResultsPerceived barriers to use were primarily related to the characteristics of the net itself, include shape, insecticide, and a variety of minority responses, such as perceived lack of mosquito density and being unaccustomed to using nets. Insecticide-related complaints found that insecticide did not present a significant barrier to use, but was cited as a nuisance. Feelings of suffocation continued to be the most commonly cited nuisance. Respondents who favoured the use of insecticide on nets appeared to be more aware of the health and malaria prevention benefits of the insecticide than those who perceived it negatively.ConclusionDespite prior evidence that barriers such as heat, shape, insecticide and perceived mosquito density contribute to non-use of LLINs in other countries, this study has shown that these factors are considered more as nuisances and that they do not consistently prevent the use of nets among respondents in Senegal. Of those who cited inconveniences with their nets, few were moved to stop using a net. Respondents from this study overcame these barriers and continue to value the importance of nets.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Berthe et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2014