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Published on: November 1, 2017
Effect of insecticide-treated bed net usage on under-five mortality in northern Ghana
Clifford Afoakwah1, Jacob Nunoo2, Francis Kwaw Andoh3
1Department of Economics, University of Ghana, Legon-Accra, Ghana. afoakwahclifford@yahoo.com.
Insights
Insecticide-treated bed net (ITN) usage significantly reduces under-five mortality in northern Ghana by 18.8%. Policies should promote ITN use, not just availability, to improve child survival rates.
Area of Science:
- Global Health
- Pediatric Mortality
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Under-five mortality rates remain high in northern Ghana compared to national averages.
- This study investigates factors contributing to elevated child mortality in the region.
- Focus is placed on the utilization of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) as a key intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the correlates of high under-five mortality in northern Ghana.
- To specifically assess the impact of insecticide-treated bed net (ITN) usage on child survival.
- To provide evidence-based recommendations for reducing child mortality in the region.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 3,839 under-five children from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey.
- Employed univariate descriptive statistics to characterize study variables.
- Estimated a logit model using maximum likelihood to determine the effect of ITN usage on under-five mortality.
Main Results:
- Children sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) experienced an 18.8% lower under-five mortality rate.
- Health facility delivery was associated with reduced under-five mortality.
- Childbearing among older women was found to be detrimental to child survival.
Conclusions:
- Policies should prioritize advocating for ITN usage, beyond mere household availability, to reduce child mortality.
- The Ministry of Health should expand services to rural areas to promote health facility delivery.
- Targeted interventions focusing on ITN use and facility-based delivery are crucial for improving child survival in northern Ghana.
Background:
Although under-five mortality rate seems to be declining in Ghana, the northern part of the country has higher levels of under-five mortality vis-à-vis the national rates. This research examines the correlates of the high under-five mortality among children in the northern part of Ghana, with emphasis on the usage of insecticide-treated bed net (ITN), as recommended by the World Health Organization.
Methods:
A total of 3,839 under-five children sourced from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey--was used for this study. Univariate descriptive statistics was employed to describe the variables used for the empirical estimation. The maximum likelihood estimation technique was used to estimate a logit model in other to determine the effect of insecticide treated bed net usage on under-five mortality.
Results:
Insecticide-treated bed net usage among children enhances their survival rates. Thus, under-five mortality among children who sleep under treated bed nets is about 18.8% lower than among children who do not sleep under treated bed nets. While health facility delivery was found to reduce to reduce under-five mortality, child bearing among older women is detrimental to the survival of the child.
Conclusions:
The study, therefore, recommends that policies targeting reduction in under-five mortality in northern Ghana should consider not mere availability of ITNs in the household, but advocate the usage of these treated nets. The study recommends to the Ministry of Health to extend their services to unreached rural communities to encourage health facility delivery to reduce under-five mortality.
