Community satisfaction with indoor residual spraying for Malaria control in Karonga, Northern Malawi

BackgroundThe National Malaria Control Program conducted Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) in 2010 and 2013 in selected hot districts along the valleys including Karonga, but no study has been done to measure community satisfaction levels.AimTo assess satisfaction levels of community with IRS in both rural and urban settings, in Karonga district.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in urban village of Mwahimba and rural village of Fundi in Karonga. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected from households’ representatives through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) using De Wets’s Schutte tool. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis while numbers and percentages weregenerated using Microsoft excel.ResultsOverall level of satisfaction in Fundi was estimated at 69% while that of Mwahimba was at 60.9%. In Fundi village, 66.1 % (37) of the household representatives were satisfied while in Mwahimba village, 60.7 % (34), n = 56, were satisfied with the IRS programme. Factors that led to satisfaction were, minimal adverse effects, killing of other insects, sprayer’ courtesy and good communication. Factors behind dissatisfaction include: short residual effects, poor efficacy and minimal community involvement.ConclusionDespite finding high satisfaction levels in rural village than in an urban village, overall all the villages reported low levels of satisfaction with IRS due to various factors some of which common to both villages. Karonga District Health Office needs to involve the community in the process of spraying by recruiting sprayers from the target area and also explaining the purpose of dilution to community members