Determinants of uptake, short-term and continued use of insecticide-treated curtains and jar covers for dengue control

Objective To evaluate the acceptance and long-term use of insecticide-treated (IT) materials for dengue vector control. Methods In 2007, IT jar covers and/or curtains (PermaNet(R)) were distributed under routine conditions to 4101 households (10 clusters) in Venezuela and to 2032 households (22 clusters) in Thailand. The use of IT tools was measured at distribution (uptake), at 5/6 months (short-term use) and at 18/22 months (continued use) after distribution. Determinants of use were assessed with logistic regression analysis. Results The uptake of IT curtains was 76.7% in Venezuela and 92.3% in Thailand. It was associated with being a resident for >5 years (OR Venezuela 3.0 95% CI 2.0-4.4; OR Thailand 3.5 95% CI 1.7-7.3) and with pre-intervention use of ordinary curtains (OR Venezuela 2.2 95% CI 1.4-3.6). The continued use decreased significantly to 38.4% of households in Venezuela and 59.7% in Thailand and was, conditional on short-term use, only determined by the perceived effectiveness of IT curtains (OR Venezuela 13.0 95%CI 8.7-19.5; OR Thailand 4.9 95% CI 3.1-7.8). Disease knowledge and pre-intervention perception of mosquito nuisance were not associated with IT curtains' uptake or use. The uptake of IT jar covers in Venezuela was 21.5% and essentially determined by the presence of uncovered jars in the household (OR 32.5 95% CI 14.5-72.6). Their continued use, conditional on short-time use, was positively associated with the household use of Abate(R) (OR 7.8 95% CI 2.1-28.9). Conclusion The use of IT curtains rapidly declines over time. Continued use is mainly determined by the perceived effectiveness of the tool. This poses a real challenge if IT curtains are to be introduced in dengue control programmes.