Factors Influencing the Utilization of Insecticide-Treated Nets in the Prevention and Control of Malaria Among Pregnant Women in Nigeria

Master's Thesis from the year 2017 in the subject Health - Public Health, Northumbria University, language: English, abstract: Malaria in pregnancy poses a serious public health threat in Nigeria due to its antecedent adverse consequences on the mother and her foetus. It can be prevented through the correct and consistent use of insecticide treated mosquito nets. However, its use is deficient among pregnant women I Nigeria. Therefore, this study explores the various factors that influence the use of insecticide treated nets among pregnant women in Nigeria. The objective of this study is to systematically appraise primary studies on the utilization of insecticide treated nets among pregnant women in Nigeria and to formulate a concept map of these factors. This study utilized systematic review procedures although it has a narrower scope. Literature search was conducted across four electronic databases namely; MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Knowledge and BioMed. In addition, the references of articles were further examined to identify articles which may not have been captured in the initial search. A total hit count of 3305 was arrived at and seven high quality studies were selected for critical and systematic appraisal after all relevant studies were subjected to a predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. This study found that several issues have been identified as factors that influence the utilization of insecticide treated nets among pregnant women in Nigeria. However, the main factors include; socioeconomic and demographic factors, level of knowledge about malaria and its consequences, level of misconceptions about malaria, access to antenatal care facilities and availability of the mosquito nets. However, the socioeconomic class of the pregnant woman is the strongest predictor of utilization as it directly or indirectly influences other factors.