Assessment of knowledge and practice towards Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) and Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) among Pregnant Women in Abobo District, Gambella, Ethiopia

Abstract

Pregnant mothers are at considerable risk of malarial infection in Ethiopia. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) and long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) are two core interventions for control and prevention of malaria infection. However, its utilization among pregnant mothers was unsatisfactory. This descriptive cross-sectional study was aimed to determine the knowledge and practices of pregnant women regarding malaria and its preventive measures in a malarious area Abobo district, Gambella, Ethiopia.The study was conducted from October to December 2024. Data was collected from 430 pregnant mothers through a two-stage random cluster sampling method in eight villages. Pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data. During the survey, visual observations were also made by the interviewers to check use of LLINs and IRS. The data were analyzed by SPSS software version 21. The majority of households had a high level of knowledge about symptoms (98%, n=392) and transmission (74.5%, n=298) of malaria. The main preventive measures against malaria were: LLINS (39.5%, n=158), IRS (32%, n=128), and others. In addition, participants with primary or higher educational level reported that they practice more malaria preventive measures, compared to those who were illiterate (OR=3.3, 95% CI= 1.6–6.6, p=0.0001, Table 6). In spite of positive perceptions about IRS and LLINs, only 35.5% (n=149) and 17% (n=68) of households used IRS and LLINs, respectively. According to the results of this study, despite a high level of knowledge about malaria and its preventive measures, a small number of participants use LLINs and IRS for malaria prevention. Therefore, implementation of effective educational interventions is recommended to improve preventive practices against malaria in the study area.