Determinants Of Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets Utilization Among Households Of Vihiga Sub - County

Abstract

Insecticide Treated Mosquito Net (ITN) use is one of the primary malaria intervention recommended by the Kenyan government of Kenya through the Ministry of Health. Although several studies have been done with regards to ITN utilization, no study had been done to investigate the household factors that affect the utilization of ITNs across all age groups. This study explored the household factors that affect net utilization in Vihiga Sub-County. It looked at various factors within the household that affected Insecticide Treated Net use i.e. the determinants of ITN use across all age groups in Vihiga Sub-County. The study used a binary logit method where Insecticide Treated Net (ITN) use was the dependent variable defined as total household members who slept under an ITN all nights throughout the year while the other variables were treated as either discrete dummy variables or continuous variables. Regression results showed that household size, knowledge of causes of malaria, perceived effectiveness of ITN and Knowledge of ITN as a malaria prevention strategy significantly affected ITN use. This was assessed through the p-values which were less than 1percent and z-scores which were more than 2.The study concludes that these factors hinder use of ITNs indicating that presence of an ITN in the house might not translate into use unless these factors are properly addressed. The key policy variable that government can work on is awareness creation due to the role of knowledge in the model. Hence the study recommends increased awareness creation through line ministries in order to achieve reduced morbidity and mortality across all age groups.