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Table 2 Net Use among Children Less than 5, Central & Eastern Regions, Ghana 2004

From: Who sleeps under bednets in Ghana? A doer/non-doer analysis of malaria prevention behaviours

Characteristic

Doers

Non-Doers

p

 

n = 97

%

n = 803

%

 

Respondent's age

    

.2452

15–24

17

17.5

149

18.6

 

25–34

50

51.6

358

44.6

 

35–44

27

27.8

228

28.4

 

45–49

3

3.1

68

8.5

 

Live in Eastern region

80

82.5

375

46.7

<.0001

Belong to a credit association

41

42.3

386

48.1

.2798

Highest level of schooling attended

    

.2406

No school

19

19.8

143

17.9

 

Primary

26

27.1

185

23.2

 

Junior secondary/middle

41

42.7

419

52.4

 

Senior secondary/vocational/higher

10

10.4

52

6.5

 

Household size

    

.2192

1–3

16

16.5

110

13.7

 

4–5

29

29.9

299

37.2

 

6–7

38

39.2

247

30.8

 

8 or more

14

14.4

147

18.3

 

Religion

    

.6839

Christian

88

90.7

707

89.4

 

Muslim/other

9

9.3

84

10.6

 

Water supply

    

.0174

Piped in/covered well in yard

2

2.1

29

3.6

 

Public tap/borehole

67

69.1

635

79.2

 

Open water source

28

28.9

138

17.2

 

Toilet facility

    

.0015

Public latrine

42

43.3

472

59.1

 

Private toilet/latrine

34

35.1

241

30.2

 

Bush

21

21.7

86

10.8

 

Received antenatal care during last pregnancy

95

97.9

776

97.6

.8405

Received professional antenatal care during last pregnancy

93

97.9

758

97.7

.8953

Food security

    

.0324

Food secure

63

66.3

432

55.4

 

Food insecure without hunger

20

21.1

158

20.3

 

Food insecure with hunger

12

12.6

190

24.4

 

   Believe mosquito bites cause malaria

94

96.9

765

95.3

.6109*

   Believe staying in the sun too long causes malaria

36

37.1

343

42.7

.2912

   Believe working too close to fire causes malaria

14

14.4

118

14.7

.9451

   Believe overworking yourself causes malaria

20

20.6

99

12.3

.0228

   Believe in spiritual/superstitious causes of malaria

2

2.1

16

2.0

.9633

   Believe in other causes of malaria

19

19.6

163

20.3

.8692

   Do not know what causes malaria

1

1.0

13

1.6

.6585

   Believe in the correct cause of malaria (mosquito bites only)

22

22.7

247

30.9

.0962

   Believe sleeping under an ITN is protective against malaria

87

89.7

618

77.0

.0040

   Believe mosquito coils are protective against malaria

48

49.5

490

61.0

.0286

   Believe clearing bushes around the house is protective against malaria

56

57.7

387

48.2

.0759

   Believe wearing clothes to cover the body is protective against malaria

7

7.2

72

9.0

.5651

   Believe disturbing mosquito hiding places is protective against malaria

8

8.3

65

8.1

.9585

   Believe in other protective methods against malaria

8

8.3

132

16.4

.0355

   Do not know protective methods against malaria

2

2.1

19

2.4

.8513

   Believe that the best way to prevent malaria is:

    

.0042

Using an ITN

88

90.7

613

76.6

 

Other good alternatives

4

4.1

125

15.6

 

Don't know

5

5.2

62

7.8

 

   Believe fever is a sign/symptom of malaria

70

72.2

555

69.1

.5380

   Believe vomiting is a sign/symptom of malaria

62

63.9

449

55.9

.1329

   Believe yellowish/dark urine is a sign/symptom of malaria

39

40.2

407

50.7

.0512

   Believe a lack of appetite is a sign/symptom of malaria

45

46.4

314

39.1

.1661

   Believe chills is a sign/symptom of malaria

17

17.5

175

21.8

.3325

   Believe diarrhoea is a sign/symptom of malaria

8

8.3

114

14.2

.1059

   Believe headache is a sign/symptom of malaria

8

8.3

113

14.1

.1122

   Believe joint pain or bone pain is a sign/symptom of malaria

11

11.3

96

12.0

.8597

   Believe dizziness is a sign/symptom of malaria

3

3.1

70

8.7

.0731*

   Believe constipation is a sign/symptom of malaria

2

2.1

23

2.9

.6497

   Believe in other signs/symptoms of malaria

11

11.3

123

15.3

.2986

   Believe that a child with fever needs to complete a full course of treatment even if his conditions improve

87

89.7

632

79.3

.0149

   Believe that children <5 are most vulnerable to malaria

82

84.5

694

86.4

.6100

   Believe that children 6–14 years old are most vulnerable to malaria

11

11.3

108

13.5

.5624

   Believe that pregnant women are most vulnerable to malaria

55

56.7

470

58.5

.7299

   Believe that women of reproductive age (15–49) are most vulnerable to malaria

9

9.3

70

8.7

.8537

   Believe that adolescent boys (15–18 yrs) are most vulnerable to malaria

3

3.1

44

5.5

.4674*

   Believe that adult males (above 18 yrs) are most vulnerable to malaria

16

16.5

60

7.5

.0025

   Believe that everyone is most vulnerable to malaria

24

24.7

115

14.3

.0073

   Do not know who is most vulnerable to malaria

1

1.0

17

2.1

.7104*

   Believe that only children <5 years are most vulnerable to malaria

9

9.3

133

16.6

.0630

   Believe that only pregnant women are most vulnerable to malaria

1

1.0

22

2.7

.4998*

   Believe that only children <5 and pregnant women are most vulnerable to malaria

21

21.7

216

26.9

.2675

   Believe that malaria during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage/abortion

63

65.0

494

61.5

.5113

   Believe that malaria during pregnancy can lead to death

57

58.8

477

59.4

.9036

   Believe that malaria during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery

35

36.1

286

35.6

.9279

   Believe that malaria during pregnancy can lead to anaemia

13

13.4

152

18.9

.1839

   Believe that malaria during pregnancy can lead to profuse bleeding

13

13.4

123

15.3

.6188

   Believe that malaria during pregnancy can lead to something else

4

4.1

35

4.4

.9145

   Do not know any consequences of malaria during pregnancy

6

6.2

22

2.7

.1099*

   Believe that starting antenatal care once pregnant is protective against malaria during pregnancy

63

65.0

542

67.5

.6135

   Believe that sleeping under an ITN is protective against malaria during pregnancy

53

54.6

363

45.2

.0784

   Believe that eating good food/a balanced diet is protective against malaria during pregnancy

43

44.3

372

46.3

.7095

   Believe that keeping surroundings clean is protective against malaria during pregnancy

40

41.2

232

28.9

.0124

   Believe that taking antimalarials as directed is protective against malaria during pregnancy

15

15.5

155

19.3

.3616

   Believe that treating worm infestations is protective against malaria during pregnancy

3

3.1

41

5.1

.6154*

   Believe that something else is protective against malaria during pregnancy

4

4.1

82

10.2

.0653*

   Do not know of any ways to protect against malaria during pregnancy

4

4.1

10

1.3

.0544*

   Believe that pregnant women can have malaria without knowing or showing signs of it

46

47.9

413

52.5

.3915

  1. *Fisher's Exact
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