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. 2021 May 6;15(5):e0009251. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009251

Table 1. Themes and Subcodes.

Themes (Deductive) Subcodes (Inductive)
Section: Household Insecticide Use
How and Where Insecticides are Used Home Use: Spray and powder insecticides are applied directly to home surfaces. Opinions were split whether they could be applied in the bed.
Direct application: Insecticides as well as related products (flea shampoo) applied directly to children or pets.
Preparation: Spray (convenient but strong) vs powder (easily accessible to children or pets).
Preventive use: Insecticide can be applied preventively at intervals of weeks or months as informal fumigation.
Government campaigns: Participants from both sites reported fumigation through formal government campaigns.
Agricultural use: Participants used phosphine insecticide to protect agricultural products in stores, likely family businesses connected to the home.
Frequency of Use Targeted insecticide use as needed: After first application, wait times ranged from half an hour to the following day.
Routine insecticide spraying: Participants performed informal fumigation from every 2 weeks to every 2 months.
Who Applies No clear distinction with the exception of adults rather than children.
Applying Multiple Insecticides Combining insecticides: Done to combat infestations or address multiple insects at once.
Risks: Combining insecticides was reported to increase health risks and risk of "resistance" to insecticides.
Alternative Methods Cleaning and Hygiene: Maintaining a clean home and taking out trash were considered especially important for flies.
Chemical methods: Alcohol was used for bedbugs, bleach for flies/ants, disinfectant, detergent or gasoline for ants, soap for plant insects, and mosquito repellant.
Herbal/natural methods: Associated with older people, included eucalyptus, molle, muna, smoke (particularly of these herbs), ash, talc, hot water.
Bed cleaning: For bedbugs, a multi-step process described multiple times including cleaning, sunning,washing, maybe insecticides/alcohol, sometimes burning and replacing bedding.
Physical Methods: Fly screens, flyswatters, killing with brooms and shoes, fly tape, keeping home closed against mosquitoes.
Section: PERCEIVED RISKS OF USE
Health Risks of Insecticides Health impacts: Physical impacts of insecticides reported by participants included headaches, trouble breathing, hand pain, eyes burning, irritation, dizziness, vomiting, concern for "allergies" in children and death reported in an animal.
Bad Experiences Accidental Ingestion: Accidental ingestion by people and animals was a concern and was reported in isolated cases, including a small child who drank bleach.
Prevention of Insecticide Risks Timing: Applying when others (especially children) are out of the house; for spray insecticides, this includes ventilating on return.
Storage: Keeping out of reach of children, such as storing in high places, child locks, etc.
Proper use: Using as directed by package.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Participants described multiple types of often informal personal protective equipment, including gloves or bags on hands, masks or rags over the face, glasses, etc.
Section: INSECTICIDE CHOICE
Criteria for Insecticide Selection
*Also includes "Types of Insecticides—Contrasted"
Ease of use: Factors included whether it needed to be prepared, where spray was broadly considered more convenient and quick than the powdered insecticides.
Safety: Factors affecting safety included whether it was easy to keep away from children and whether it lingered in the environment.
Odor: Odor was discussed as a metric of strength or health impacts.
Health: Participants advertised or described insecticides they personally used as "non-toxic".
Strength/Effectiveness: Includes how well the product works, especially against certain insects like roaches, and how long a product lasts.
Cost: Cost includes price, how long it lasts, cost-effectiveness. Cost was associated with quality and brand recognition.
Familiarity: Participants used certain products out of habit or familiarity.
Spray vs. Powder: In general sprays were faster, stronger, more expensive and toxic; powders were cheaper and risky for children (although the reverse was reported in one case).
Brands of Insecticides *Also includes "Types of Insecticides—Contrasted" Strong and prestigious brands: Baygon, Raid and Sapolio
"Non-toxic" and safer brands: Johnsons and Chica Verano were described either in advertisements or personal accounts as being less toxic.
Relative Risks of Insecticides Determining risk: More potent, less familiar and cheaper types of insecticides are also considered to pose greater health risks.
Packaging/form: Brightly packaged insecticides and those that can be grabbed by children (such as powder) were named as more risky
Inherent risks: Participants also expressed that insecticides are inherently harmful.
Specificity by Insect Insect specificity: It was important for some participants to match insecticide to insect and some requested it from the store for a specific insect, particularly for spiders, mosquitoes, flies and roaches.
Broad-spectrum Insecticides: Certain well-known brands were considered potent, and insecticides that killed roaches were considered strong enough to kill other insects.
Recommendations / Source of Information Reliable sources: "Agropecuarios" (feed stores), also called specialists, were the most trusted source.
Veterinarians: Veterinarians were named as a source of advice as well as insecticides.
Places to Purchase Insecticides "Agropecuarios" (feed stores): Most trusted source of insecticides.
Markets or street vendors: Ambulatory and informal vendors were considered less reliable, since the product could be impure or expired.