Factors influencing people's willingness-to-buy insecticide-treated bednets in Arbaminch Zuria district,southern Ethiopia

Promoting self-financing healthcare helps restore efficiency and equity to national health systems. this study was conducted in malaria-endemic areas of southern ethiopia to assess the bednet possession of the community,determine the people's willingness-to-pay for insecticide-treated bednets (itns),and identify what factors influence it. the study provided relevant information for programme planners and policymakers for evidence-based decision-making. this quantitative cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in four selected malarious kebeles of arbaminch zuria district using a pretested interview-administered structured questionnaire. in total,982 household heads were interviewed. the community's willingness-to-pay was assessed by contingent valuation technique using binary with follow-up method. the advantage,the distribution,and the payment mechanism were explained,and three different qualities of itn were shown by constructing a hypothetical market scenario. of the 982 respondents,466 (47.5%) households had at least one functional bednet. of 849 children aged less than five years in the 982 households,185 (21.8%) slept under a net the night preceding the survey. the results of the study revealed that around 86% of the respondents were willing to buy itns. the average maximum willingness-to-pay for three different types of bednets was statistically different. the maximum amount the people were willing to pay was us$ 3.3 for a blue conical itn,us$ 3.2 for a white conical one,and us$ 1.7 for a blue rectangular itn. the community's willingness-to-pay was significantly affected by gender,educational status,perceived benefit of itn,previous source of bednet,and characteristics of bednet. the results showed that a significant proportion of the community people were willing to pay for itns. therefore,introducing a subsidized itn market rather than free distribution for all should be considered to ensure sustainability and self-reliance in the prevention and control of malaria. © international centre for diarrhoeal disease research,bangladesh.