Operational research on the use of insecticidal nets in Nigeria

The Issue

As the National Malaria Elimination Programme of Nigeria (NMEP) prepared for a new round of mass distributions of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN), major donor Global Fund (GF) sought the most effective way to increase use following distribution.

GF commissioned a literature review on the topic, which was carried out jointly by the implementing organisations, NMEP and Society for Family Health (SFH), with technical support from Tropical Health. Based on that, Tropical Health developed a set of recommendations for operational research to be carried out in order to understand better the factors that would maximize effectiveness.

Our Approach

Tropical Health used the results of the literature review to develop a set of recommendations regarding behavioural change communications and their impact as well as possible cultural reasons for non-use, preferences and steps to take when nets are damaged.

Tropical Health delivered a report drawing conclusions from the literature review and linking them to recommendations for operational research.

Our Findings

In the literature review, Tropical Health and partners found that a considerable number of publications describe a large gap between household ownership of at least one net and net use by the general population of vulnerable groups. In general, net use in general is good in Nigeria when there is access, although lower net use rates were observed in some regions. Tropical Health recommended, for example, conducting qualitative and quantitative research into possible cultural reasons for non-use in some regions,  mapping of preferences of types of nets and relation to the level of use, and developing methods for measuring the point at which nets deterioriate (or households perceive them as non-usable) in order to clarify messaging about the lifespan of a net or how to care for and repair them.