Utilization of insecticides treated mosquito bed nets among pregnant women in Kassena-Nankana East municipality in the upper east region of Ghana

INTRODUCTION Malaria has threatened the lives of 3.2 billion individuals worldwide and has dire consequences on pregnant women and children. Insecticides Treated Mosquito Nets (ITNs) are the simplest way of preventing malaria. The main objective of this study was to assess the utilization of ITNs among pregnant women in the Kassena-Nankana East Municipality. METHODS A descriptive cross-sectional study was used. The study recruited 362 pregnant women using simple random sampling technique. All statistics were performed at a 95% confidence level with p<0.05 considered significant. RESULTS Almost all (99.7%) respondents had heard about mosquito bed nets, of which 98.6% have ever seen bed nets. The majority (96.2%) of the respondents stated that ITNs could be obtained from health facilities and over 90% knew the general use of ITNs. The majority of the respondents (97.8%) had mosquito bed nets. Out of those who owned ITNs, 94.8% use them. Reasons for not using ITNs included the fact that some feel: not being necessary (26.2%), being expensive, cannot afford it (15.8%), inadequate public education (47.5%), and difficulty in accessing ITNs (10.5%). The study revealed a significant association between area of residence (χ2=3.4; p=0.04), increasing average monthly income (χ2=46.4; p<0.001), and utilization of ITNs. CONCLUSIONS There is high awareness and knowledge about ITNs. Though the majority of the participants owned ITNs, it does not translate to effective utilization of ITNs. The challenges identified in this study showed that there are still fundamental issues that require immediate attention for the effective utilization of ITNs.