Long-Lasting Insecticidal Net Utilization and Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women in Asgede Tsimbla District, Northern Ethiopia, 2017

BACKGROUND: Malaria among pregnant women contributes to maternal anemia, low birth weight, spontaneous abortion, and infant deaths. In response to this serious health problem, regular use of the long-lasting insecticidal net is the most cost-effective method of preventing malaria. However, in most developing countries, including Ethiopia, long-lasting insecticidal net utilization by pregnant women is uncertain. OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to measure the utilization of insecticidal net and to identify the associated factors with its utilization among pregnant women in Asgede Tsimbla district in 2017. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was employed and data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaire. Systematic random sampling method was used to select 550 pregnant women. Data were entered into a computer using Epi Info (version 7) and exported to Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 21) for further analysis. Variables with P-value less than 0.05 were used to declare statistical significance between the dependent and the independent variables in multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Among 550 pregnant women surveyed, 347 (63.1%) of the pregnant women slept under a long-lasting insecticidal net the night before the survey. Urban residence (OR [95% CI] = 1.9 [1.22-3.01]), family size of 3-5 and >5 (2.8 [1.53-5.22] and 2.4 [1.20-5.03], respectively), and history of malaria during their current pregnancy (3.0 [1.95-4.86]) were found to be the factors associated with pregnant women’s long-lasting insecticidal net utilization. CONCLUSION: Utilization of long-lasting insecticidal net was low, and place of residence, exposure status to malaria during their current pregnancy, and family size were the factors associated with long-lasting insecticidal net utilization.