title: Is staying overnight in a farming hut a risk factor for malaria infection in a setting with insecticide-treated bed nets in rural Laos?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Overnight stays in farming huts are known to pose a risk of malaria infection. However, studies reporting the risk were conducted in the settings of poor net coverage. This study sought to assess whether an overnight stay in a farming hut is associated with an increased risk of malaria infection if insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) are properly used.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pair of cross-sectional surveys was carried out in the Lamarm district of Sekong province, Laos, in March (dry season) and August (rainy season) in 2008. Questionnaire-based interviews and blood examinations were conducted with farmers and their household members from three randomly selected villages in March (127 households, 891 people) and August (128 households, 919 people). Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for potential confounding factors, was used to assess the association between malaria infection status and frequency of overnight stays for the two weeks prior to the study in both the seasons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In March, 13.7% of participants reported staying overnight in a farming hut at least once in the previous two weeks. The percentage increased to 74.6% in August. Not only adults but also young children stayed overnight as often as adults. The use of an ITN the preceding night was common both in farming huts (66.3% in March, 95.2% in August), and in main residences (85.8% in March, 92.5% in August). Logistic regression analysis showed no statistical association between malaria infection status and frequency of overnight stays in farming huts in either study period. However, people sharing one family type net with five people or more were significantly more likely to have malaria than those sharing a net with up to two people in the dry season.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that staying overnight in farming huts was not associated with an increased risk of malaria infection in the setting where ITNs were widely used in farming huts. It suggests that malaria infection during overnight stays in farming huts might be preventable if ITNs are properly used in rural Laos.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Global Health, Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. laodaisuke@hotmail.co.jp
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nonaka
authors.forename: Sakhone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laimanivong
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Keobouphaphone
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chindavonsa
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kano
authors.forename: Viengxay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vanisaveth
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yasuoka
authors.forename: Samlane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Phompida
authors.forename: Masamine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jimba
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001769:Blood / Q000469:parasitology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D057148:Insecticide-Treated Bednets; D007306:Insecticides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007812:Laos; D008288:Malaria / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009032:Mosquito Control / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides