Decreased motivation in the use of insecticide-treated nets in a malaria endemic area in Burkina Faso

Léa Paré Toé, Olé Skovmand, Kounbobr Roch Dabiré, Abdoulaye Diabaté, Yveline Diallo, Tinga Robert Guiguemdé, Julien Marie Christian Doannio, Martin Akogbeto, Thierry Baldet, Marc-Eric Gruénais

The use of insecticide-treated nets (ITN) is an important tool in the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) strategy. For ITNs to be effective they need to be used correctly. Previous studies have shown that many factors, such as wealth, access to health care, education, ethnicity and gender, determine the ownership and use of ITNs. Some studies showed that free distribution and public awareness campaigns increased the rate of use. However, there have been no evaluations of the short- and long-term impact of such motivation campaigns. A study carried out in a malaria endemic area in south-western Burkina Faso indicated that this increased use declined after several months. The reasons were a combination of the community representation of malaria, the perception of the effectiveness and usefulness of ITNs and also the manner in which households are organized by day and by night.