Maternal Attitudes about Objectively Monitored Bednet Use in Rural Uganda

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Malaria Prevention
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs) are crucial for malaria prevention.
• Poor adherence to ITN use is a significant barrier to effective malaria control.
• Self-reported bednet usage data is often unreliable due to recall and social desirability biases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess attitudes towards objective bednet monitoring using a novel device called SmartNet.
• To evaluate the acceptability of electronic monitoring of ITN usage among women in Uganda.

Main Methods:

• Development of SmartNet, an insecticide-treated bednet with integrated conductive fabric circuits for electronic usage monitoring.
• A qualitative study involving interviews with 50 pregnant women and women with children under 5 years in rural Uganda.
• Assessing user perceptions, ease of use, interest, and concerns regarding the SmartNet device.

Main Results:

• 95% of participants had previously used bednets, and 90% owned one.
• Following a demonstration, 92% of women believed SmartNet would be easy to use, and 100% expressed interest in using it.
• Key concerns included washing the net, privacy during sleep, and potential removal of device components.

Conclusions:

• Objective monitoring of insecticide-treated bednet use via SmartNet appears acceptable to women in rural Uganda.
• The findings support further field testing of SmartNet for improving malaria prevention adherence.
• SmartNet has the potential to overcome limitations of self-reported data in malaria prevention programs.