Analysis on the impact of the distribution of insecticide-treated nets on infant mortality rate in Uganda: a case study of Katanga

Abstract

According to the study, 86.5 percent and 69.8 percent of the household heads acknowledged the effectiveness of ITNs in preventing malaria and reducing malaria death, respectively. However, 46.9 percent of the household heads perceived ITNs to be harmful to children and pregnant women, 34.4 percent stated that ITNs are uncomfortable with 47.9 percent and 36.5 percent of the household heads citing suffocation and excessive heat if they sleep under ITNs, respectively. The study also deduced that 67.7 percent of the households in Katanga owned at least one ITN, while majority (95.4 percent) of those utilized the ITNs a day before the survey. The demographic characteristics of the households were established to have no significant effect on the utilization of ITNs among children under five years old. The number of rooms occupied by the household and the type of floor were established as the only intra-household characteristics that had significant effect on the utilization of ITNs among children under five years old. Furthermore, the study revealed that the sleeping pattern within the household and whether the ITNs were enough for each household occupant were the only significant predictors of ITN utilization among the children under 5 years old. The study aimed to analyze the impact of the distribution of insecticide-treated nets on infant mortality rate in Uganda, taking households in the slum area of Katanga as a case study. The study utilized primary data with a sample size of 96 respondents who were household heads of households with at least a child under five years old in Katanga. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the household heads of households with at least a child below the age of five years old into the sample and the required data was collected from them using a well-structured questionnaire. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends that a massive sensitization of household heads and the communities should be conducted to avert the negative beliefs of households towards ITNs use for the successful realization of the anticipated benefits of the mass distribution of ITNs.