| dc.description.abstract | Malaria is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, w.ith more than a quarter of the deaths occurring in children under five years in sub-Saharan Africa. Effective use of Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and timely treatment have demonstrated control and reduction of malaria infections across countries in sub-Saharan Africa. However, no study has been carried out to find out the effect of timely treatment and use ofITNs on the hospitalization of children under-five years. To determine the effect, a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on 108 caregivers with children under-five years at Matete Health centre in Lugari Sub-County. The objective of the study was to determine timeliness of the treatment of febrile illness, effective utilization of ITNs at the household level and establishing the relationship of effective utilization of insecticide treated bed nets on the hospitalization. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data. A semi-structured questionnaire and key informal interviews were used. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in charts and bar graphs. Chi-square statistics was used to establish the relationship between effective use of ITNs and hospitalization or hospital visits. 87% of the caregivers possessed bed nets although 28% effectively used ITNs. 100% agreed on the importance of protection against malaria. Barriers to effective use of ITNs included house structure, number of children and number of bed nets. Over 40% of the caregivers knew that a child with fever should be taken to the hospital. However, only 13% took their children to the hospital. Delay in seeking timely treatment was due to use of self-medication in particular use of Panadol, waiting for remedies, economic reasons and ignorance of care givers. The effective use of ITNs had effect of hospitalization, in particular among those who visited the hospital once, those who used ITNs effectively were 27% and those who did not were 73% (P <0.0001). For those who visited the hospital twice or more and used ITNs effectively were 30% and those who did not were 70% (P value = 0.0008). There is poor timely treatment of children under-five years and this study has also demonstrated that effective use of ITNs influence the hospital visits. The study therefore recommends addressing household barriers to use of lTNs such as house structure, number of bed nets and beds in the house and there• should be a health promotion program for caregivers to ensure timely treatment of children under five years presenting with fever. | en_US |