A cross-sectional survey of parental care-seeking behavior for febrile illness among under-five children in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Infections are a common cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Proper management of these conditions in appropriate health facilities provides the best opportunity for survival and reducing disability. Aims: To evaluate the care-seeking behavior by parents of under-five children with fever in Nigeria and determine household characteristics associated with appropriate care-seeking. Material and methods: The study is a secondary analysis of 2013 Demographic and Health Survey data for Nigeria, which was a cross-sectional survey conducted nationwide to obtain demographic and health characteristics of the population among 40,680 households selected using a multistage cluster sampling method. Under-five children with fever in the preceding two weeks were selected alongside their mothers. Selected sociodemographic parameters were related to parents seeking care from appropriate health facilities or otherwise. Logistic regression analysis was employed to evaluate the association of these parameters with appropriate care-seeking. Results: There were 3632 (12.6%) under-five children with fever in the preceding two weeks. Of these, 1142 (31.4%) had been taken to an appropriate health facility for care. Factors associated with appropriate care-seeking were paternal secondary (OR, 95% CI; 1.49, 1.16-1.90), paternal tertiary education (OR, 95% CI; 2.03, 1.49-2.76) and belonging to the Muslim faith (OR, 95% CI; 2.31, 1.86-2.87). Others were age of child <36 months, being married and working mother. Conclusion: There is poor care-seeking for fever in under-five children by parents in Nigeria. Improved literacy, women empowerment and health education are strategies that may improve care-seeking behavior. Highlighted regional differences are additional considerations for such interventions.

Health care utilization for common childhood illnesses in rural parts of Ethiopia: evidence from the 2016 Ethiopian demographic and health survey

“…On the other hand, our finding is lower than previous studies conducted in the rural parts of Niger (70.4%) and Uganda (76%) [17, 19]. The finding of the study also showed that health care utilization for fever illness was higher than a study conducted in Nigeria [32]. On the contrary, lower than a study conducted in a rural area of Tanzania [18].…”

Inequalities in health care utilization for common illnesses among under five children in Bangladesh

“…Our study found age of children as a significant predictor of health care use for childhood diarrhea and fever/cough. Other studies in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Zambia and Nigeria also found that children in the lower age group were more likely to receive treatment [16,19,20,30]. This pattern may be due to the fact that parents usually perceive their children at the early stage as being especially "delicate" [30].…”

Factors influencing mothers’ health care seeking behaviour for their children: evidence from 31 countries in sub-Saharan Africa

“…This may be linked to the fact that children from richest households may be enjoying alternative medical care such as home treatment by medical personnel. Employment status of mothers has a significant impact on health care seeking behaviour for their children as working women are more likely to present their children for measles vaccine and more likely to seek medical care when their children have fever or cough [ 25 – 27 ]. It may be that working women have the ability to pay for treatment whenever they present their children for medical care, something which the non-working women may not be able to do on their own.…”