Table 2 Summary of attitudes towards malaria prevention among urban and rural participants in Angola and Nigeria

48% identified ITNs as a method of preventing mosquito bites

‘Mosquito nets are a proper preventive measure against mosquitoes.’ Female 18–29 years, urban Kano.

34% identified ITNs as a method of preventing malaria

‘For me I don’t like insecticide-treated nets, reason being that you don’t have adequate air flow.’ IDI (Doctor), urban Lagos.

23% reported house cleaning as a method of preventing malaria

‘…the only paramount way to prevent it is mostly through environmental cleanliness. Our environment should be clean so that there would not be all these insects around us.’ Male 30+, urban Enugu.

‘…the primary answer is to make sure you live in a very hygienic home, make sure you don’t allow stagnant water to stay within your dwelling.’ Male 30+, rural Lagos.

5% reported purifying drinking water to prevent malaria

3% of households reported closing doors and windows to prevent malaria

‘The number one thing we need to do to stop their crusade is to net houses and we need to check the number of times we go in and out of the house.’ Male 30+, urban Lagos.

‘One should use a broom to scare them out of the house and then close the windows so that they won’t be able to come in.’ Male 30+, rural Lagos.

8% reported spraying insecticide to prevent malaria

‘…first time I noticed I can’t breathe very well. The second day, I put the mosquito coil on again. I nearly collapsed when I woke up, the thing had choked my heart.’ Female 18–29 years, urban Enugu.

‘…even it [mosquito coil] is dangerous to children.’ Male 30+, rural Lagos.

‘I spray some insecticide because it kills mosquitoes.’ IDI (Doctor), urban Enugu.

‘I dislike some insecticides like Rainbow because of its severe odour, it is pungent and can cause upper respiratory infection.’ IDI (Doctor), urban Kano.

‘It is the mosquito repellent, it tends to make my skin stain and after sometime when you sleep, mosquitoes will still come to bite you.’ IDI (Doctor), urban Lagos.

23% described taking anti-malarial medications

‘But what I do when I was on shift was to take fansidar.’ IDI (Doctor), urban Kano.

‘We always use herbs to prevent malaria.’ Male 18–29 years, rural Lagos.

5% reported using fire/smoke to prevent malaria

‘I will put this orange rind in a charcoal pot and burn it and put it in the room and take my children outside and close the window for a short time. I will take it out and bring my children in.’ Female 18–29 years, urban Kano.

‘The only thing that can drive them away is the fan. If there is light and the fan is on.’ Male 30+, rural Lagos.

‘… like the UV light that you plug in and when any mosquito comes in, they are attracted towards the light and they burn.’ IDI (MoH), urban Lagos.

‘Water and kerosene kills mosquitoes more than any other thing.’ Pregnant female, rural Lagos.