To examine how pregnancy intention may be related to insecticide-treated bed net (ITN) use among pregnant women in Rwanda.
Subject and methods
This cross-sectional study applied random effects models to a nationally representative sample of pregnant women (n?=?837) from the 2010 Rwanda demographic and health survey (RDHS) who reported owning an ITN for their personal ownership and use at the time of the survey.
Results
The odds of reported ITN use the night before the survey are lower for women who reported a wanted but mistimed pregnancy—odds ratio (OR)?=?0.45, 95 % confidence interval (CI) =?0.18–0.77, p-value (p)? Conclusion
Unwanted pregnancy is associated with reduced odds of ITN use demonstrating that ITN use is not uniform across all pregnant women in Rwanda despite near universal access to ITNs. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies may enhance ITN use. Moreover, women with unwanted pregnancies may benefit from further education and motivation to use ITNs