FACTORS HINDERING UTILIZATION OF INSECTICIDE TREATED NETS IN HOUSEHOLDS WITH CHILDREN UNDER FIVE YEARS OF AGE IN RWENTUHA TOWN COUNCIL,BUSHENYI DISTRICT

Abstract

Introduction: Insecticide treated nets (ITNs) arethe powerful toolsused in prevention of malaria and this has attracted Government of Uganda todistribute free ITNs at household level using its village health facilities. Despite the distribution of free ITNs, there have been cases of malaria among children under five years of age. This makes the basis for examining the socio-economic,cultural and marriage institutionalfactors hindering the utilization of the ITNs among such children in Rwentuha Town Council, Bushenyi District.

Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design, employing mix approaches of qualitative and quantitative for data collectionand analysis. Datawerecollected from 320 respondents using administered questionnaires and interview guide for the key informants. Data were analyzed using STATA version 13 to generate both descriptive and inferential statistics using a binary logistic regression analysis. Results: The study found that education levels significantly hinder utilization of ITNs since its P<0.05 (P = .030). It was also found that the household size (P=.008); the seasons where participants were not using ITNs (P=.011) and the lighting system(P=.021) were also significant factors that could hinder the utilization of ITNs. Cultural values attached to the use of ITNs to prevent malaria was found to be the only statistically significant factor among the cultural factors hindering ITNs use(P=.010). Marriage institutional factors were not significant. Conclusion: The study affirms that there are socio-economic, cultural and marriageinstitutional factors hindering utilization of insecticide in Rwentuha Town Council. These factors vary from household to another and hinder utilization differently which has made malaria persistent among the people. The study recommends that plans be made to increase the number of free ITNs distributed to all households, increase in community education and public awareness on ITNs use.