Do ownership of mosquito nets, dwelling characteristics and mothers’ socio-economic status influence malaria morbidity among children under the age of 5 in Cameroon?

Abstract

Objectives: This study analyzed the effect of the number of mosquito nets that are owned by households, dwelling characteristics and maternal demographic characteristics on malaria infections. Material and Methods: The 2011 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data for children under 5 years of age were used. The children were subjected to haemoglobin test and rapid diagnostic test (RDT) to ascertain the presence of malaria parasites. Data were analyzed using probit regression method. Results: It was found that 2.43% and 8.68% of the children were living in houses that were prone to landslide and flooding, respectively. Also, 19.93%, 17.08% and 16.26% of the children lived in houses without windows, with broken windows, and with a hole in the roof, respectively. Only 5.59% and 23.96% of the children lived in houses with window and door nets, respectively. Mosquito nets were owned by 64.03% of the households, where Adamawa Region had the lowest coverage (52.23%). Reasons for not owning mosquito nets by all the households included: lack of financial means (25.17%), using something else (1.80%) and not having many mosquitoes in the vicinity (5.53%). In the probit regression, variables that significantly reduced malaria infections among the children (p < 0.05) included: the number of mosquito nets, urban residence, improved toilet, ownership of a radio, residence in flood-prone area, mother's secondary education, mother's tertiary education and residence in areas with not many mosquitoes, while infections increased along with the household size, residence in areas prone to landslide, severe anaemia, moderate anaemia, mild anaemia and age of the children. Conclusions: Ownership of mosquito nets and dwelling characteristics are critical factors influencing infections with malaria. There is a need to ensure compliance with its use since there are disparities between access and actual usage. Also, addressing malaria problem in Cameroon should consider regional disparity in malaria incidence rates and more engagement of the media, among others, for appropriate sensitization.

Prevalence and determinants of malaria among children in Zambézia Province, Mozambique

“…Therefore, it is possible that these factors broadly facilitate access to health services, including both ITNs and malaria diagnostics. This would be consistent with other studies that highlight the importance of empowering women with the education and resources that they need to ensure optimal health care for their children [27–32] and would support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which emphasize poverty solutions and quality education for women [33]. That the effects of education and income were no longer evident in a sensitivity analysis restricted only to those who accessed care and had diagnostic testing performed further supports the possibility that this assessment of self-reported symptomatic malaria may be influenced by factors facilitating access to health care services.…”

Predictors of Ownership/Utilisation Indicators of Long-lasting Insecticide Nets in the Bamendankwe Health Area of Cameroon: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The aim of this study was to determine the LLINs ownership indicators, LLINs utilisation indicators and associated predictors of LLINs ownership/utilisation amongst household heads in the Bamendankwe Health area. LLINs ownership of 93.3% in this study was higher than the 47 -89.9% reported elsewhere in Cameroon [2,4,16,[21][22][23], the 33.3 -85% in Africa [24][25][26][27][28], and the 15.5 -48% in in Asia [29,30]. It was, however, lower than the 99.7% reported in Myanmar [31] and in line with the 93.5% reported in Madagascar [27].…”

Predictors of the use of interventions to prevent malaria in pregnancy in Cameroon

“…These positive findings point to equity in net ownership which may be attributed to public health campaigns that aim to disseminate bed nets widely at no cost [25]. The strong association with the presence of young children at home is likely due to patterns of prioritized net distribution for these households in the past [13, 23]. …”