Objectives: To determine factors influencing utilisation of mosquito
bednets for malaria prevention among pregnant women in Kigoma urban
district in western Tanzania. Setting: Kigoma urban MCH clinics
Methodology: Pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic in Kigoma
municility were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The
questionnaire originally developed in the English language was
translated into Swahili language and pre-tested before use. A trained
team administered the questionnaire as part of a larger baseline study
involving several malaria chemoprophylaxis strategies among pregnant
women. Informed consent was obtained from each pregnant woman before
questionnaire administration. The project was reviewed and cleared by
the ethical clearance committee of the Muhimbili University College of
Health Sciences. Results: A total of 729 pregnant women participated in
the interview. The age of the participating women ranged from 14-45
years with mean age of 26.7 years and standard deviation (SD) of 5.4.
Of the 729 pregnant women interviewed, 61.0% (445) knew about malaria
and of these 69.4% (309) stated that they knew how to protect
themselves against malaria. About 47% (N=728) of the pregnant women
interviewed reported being current users of bednets. Reported use of
bednets appeared to increase with increasing age of the pregnant women.
Single and divorced pregnant women were less likely to report being
users of bednets as compared to married or cohabiting pregnant women
(49.2% versus 18.6%, odds ratio (OR) = 0.24, 95% confidence interval
(95%CI) = 0.12 - 0.46). Similarly, reported use of bednets
significantly increased with increasing level of education. Employed
and those engaged in business were significantly more likely to be
bednet users than housewives or peasants. Conclusion: We conclude that
factors influencing use of bednets among pregnant women in Kigoma urban
district include marital status, educational level and occupational
status
