Awareness, perception, and utilization of insecticides treated nets and intermittent preventive treatment of malaria among pregnant women in Sokoto, Nigeria

Background: Malaria during pregnancy is a major public health problem in Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African countries, and it is one of the leading contributors to the unacceptably high maternal mortality ratio in the developing countries. This study aimed to determine the awareness, perception, and utilization of insecticides treated nets (ITNs) and intermittent preventive treatment of malaria (IPTp) among pregnant women in Sokoto, Nigeria.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among 307 pregnant women (selected by multi-stage sampling technique) attending the antenatal clinics of the health facilities in Sokoto State, Nigeria. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on the research variables. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20 statistical computer software package.Results: The mean age of respondents was 27 ± 5.6 years, and a majority of them (63.8%) were aged 20–29 years. Most, 264 (86.0%) of the 307 respondents were aware of ITNs, and a majority of them (60.6%) were also aware of IPTp. Whereas most of the respondents perceived the use of ITN to be safe in pregnancy (93.2%), and protects both mother and baby from malaria in pregnancy (91.5%), the reverse is true of IPTp. Only about half of respondents (52.8%) own an ITN, and barely a third of respondents use ITN (33.8%) and IPTp (37.5%).Conclusion: The findings of this study underscore the need for government to ensure universal access to ITNs, while healthcare workers should re-invigorate and sustain education of pregnant women on the benefits and safety of use of ITNs and IPTp