Poverty and food security: drivers of insecticide-treated mosquito net misuse in Malawi
Abstract Background Over the past decade, food insecurity, connected to erratic rains and reduced agricultural outputs, has plagued Malawi. Many households are turning to fishing to seek additional sources of income and food. There is anecdotal evidence that insecticide-treated net (ITN) recipients...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:19a95bc6e9194b558ea0f47f0deaaa28 2023-05-15T15:15:07+02:00 Poverty and food security: drivers of insecticide-treated mosquito net misuse in Malawi Sara Berthe Steven A. Harvey Matthew Lynch Hannah Koenker Vincent Jumbe Blessings Kaunda-Khangamwa Don P. Mathanga 2019-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-019-2952-2 https://doaj.org/article/19a95bc6e9194b558ea0f47f0deaaa28 EN eng BMC http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12936-019-2952-2 https://doaj.org/toc/1475-2875 doi:10.1186/s12936-019-2952-2 1475-2875 https://doaj.org/article/19a95bc6e9194b558ea0f47f0deaaa28 Malaria Journal, Vol 18, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2019) ITN Misuse Fishing Lake Malawi Malawi Food security Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 article 2019 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-019-2952-2 2022-12-31T00:35:18Z Abstract Background Over the past decade, food insecurity, connected to erratic rains and reduced agricultural outputs, has plagued Malawi. Many households are turning to fishing to seek additional sources of income and food. There is anecdotal evidence that insecticide-treated net (ITN) recipients in Malawi are using their nets for purposes other than sleeping, such as for fishing, protecting crops, and displaying merchandise, among others. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the factors leading residents of waterside communities in Malawi to use ITNs for fishing. Methods This study used qualitative and observational methods. Five waterside communities were identified, two each in the North, Central and Southern regions, representing a mix of lakeside and riverside settings. Fifteen focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 146 participants, including men, women, and community leaders. Results Respondents stated that they knew that ITNs should be slept under to protect from malaria. Respondents discussed financial hardships their communities were facing due to droughts, poverty, food scarcity, unemployment, and devaluation of the Malawian currency, the kwacha. Many described selling household goods, including clothes and cooking pots, to generate short-term income for their family. Though no respondents admitted to selling an ITN themselves, the practice was commonly known. Participants said that food shortages were forcing them to make difficult choices. Fishing with ITNs was reported to be common in the study sites, as a response to food insecurity, and was widely understood to be harmful over the longer term. Respondents felt that it was everyone’s responsibility to cut down on this practice, but that efforts to confiscate or burn nets and boats of those caught fishing with ITNs were counter-productive since boats, especially, were a required resource for a productive livelihood. Respondents feared that if the health workers, government officials and donors continued to see ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Malaria Journal 18 1 |
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ITN Misuse Fishing Lake Malawi Malawi Food security Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
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ITN Misuse Fishing Lake Malawi Malawi Food security Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 Sara Berthe Steven A. Harvey Matthew Lynch Hannah Koenker Vincent Jumbe Blessings Kaunda-Khangamwa Don P. Mathanga Poverty and food security: drivers of insecticide-treated mosquito net misuse in Malawi |
topic_facet |
ITN Misuse Fishing Lake Malawi Malawi Food security Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
description |
Abstract Background Over the past decade, food insecurity, connected to erratic rains and reduced agricultural outputs, has plagued Malawi. Many households are turning to fishing to seek additional sources of income and food. There is anecdotal evidence that insecticide-treated net (ITN) recipients in Malawi are using their nets for purposes other than sleeping, such as for fishing, protecting crops, and displaying merchandise, among others. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the factors leading residents of waterside communities in Malawi to use ITNs for fishing. Methods This study used qualitative and observational methods. Five waterside communities were identified, two each in the North, Central and Southern regions, representing a mix of lakeside and riverside settings. Fifteen focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 146 participants, including men, women, and community leaders. Results Respondents stated that they knew that ITNs should be slept under to protect from malaria. Respondents discussed financial hardships their communities were facing due to droughts, poverty, food scarcity, unemployment, and devaluation of the Malawian currency, the kwacha. Many described selling household goods, including clothes and cooking pots, to generate short-term income for their family. Though no respondents admitted to selling an ITN themselves, the practice was commonly known. Participants said that food shortages were forcing them to make difficult choices. Fishing with ITNs was reported to be common in the study sites, as a response to food insecurity, and was widely understood to be harmful over the longer term. Respondents felt that it was everyone’s responsibility to cut down on this practice, but that efforts to confiscate or burn nets and boats of those caught fishing with ITNs were counter-productive since boats, especially, were a required resource for a productive livelihood. Respondents feared that if the health workers, government officials and donors continued to see ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Sara Berthe Steven A. Harvey Matthew Lynch Hannah Koenker Vincent Jumbe Blessings Kaunda-Khangamwa Don P. Mathanga |
author_facet |
Sara Berthe Steven A. Harvey Matthew Lynch Hannah Koenker Vincent Jumbe Blessings Kaunda-Khangamwa Don P. Mathanga |
author_sort |
Sara Berthe |
title |
Poverty and food security: drivers of insecticide-treated mosquito net misuse in Malawi |
title_short |
Poverty and food security: drivers of insecticide-treated mosquito net misuse in Malawi |
title_full |
Poverty and food security: drivers of insecticide-treated mosquito net misuse in Malawi |
title_fullStr |
Poverty and food security: drivers of insecticide-treated mosquito net misuse in Malawi |
title_full_unstemmed |
Poverty and food security: drivers of insecticide-treated mosquito net misuse in Malawi |
title_sort |
poverty and food security: drivers of insecticide-treated mosquito net misuse in malawi |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-019-2952-2 https://doaj.org/article/19a95bc6e9194b558ea0f47f0deaaa28 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_source |
Malaria Journal, Vol 18, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2019) |
op_relation |
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12936-019-2952-2 https://doaj.org/toc/1475-2875 doi:10.1186/s12936-019-2952-2 1475-2875 https://doaj.org/article/19a95bc6e9194b558ea0f47f0deaaa28 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-019-2952-2 |
container_title |
Malaria Journal |
container_volume |
18 |
container_issue |
1 |
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1766345504289980416 |