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

Educational intervention on knowledge of cervical cancer and uptake of Pap smear test among market women in Niger State, Nigeria

Cervical cancer is the most common female genital tract carcinoma worldwide. It is increasingly becoming the leading carcinoma seen among women in the developing world. The aim of our study was to showcase the effect of educational intervention on the knowledge of cervical cancer and subsequently the uptake of Pap smear test amongst market women in Niger state, Nigeria. The state has a rich network of markets in all the local government areas because of the fishing activities, bountiful agricultural produce yearly and its situation to the North of the national capital, Abuja. This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in two groups with pre and post intervention data collection. Sample size was determined based on a previous similar study done in Nigeria. Multi stage sampling technique was used for recruiting the study participants. SPSS statistical software was used for data entry, editing and analysis. Respondents’ knowledge of cervical cancer were comparable at pre-intervention but were statistically significantly better (P<0.0001) at post-intervention in the intervention group compared to the control group for every variable measured. However, there was only a (Fisher’s exact, P=0.621) compared to the control group. This study showed an increase in knowledge about cervical cancer and Pap smear test however the uptake of Pap smear test remained low even after intervention. This underscores the need for sustained intervention programs to eventually translate knowledge acquired to habitual practice