Care seeking for children with fever/cough or diarrhoea in Nepal: equity trends over the last 15 years

Abstract

Aims: Childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia remain major contributors to child mortality globally and need to be continually targeted in pursuit of universal health coverage. This study analyses time trends in the prevalence of fever/ cough and diarrhoea in Nepal and applies an equity lens in order to identify disadvantaged groups. Methods: Data from the Nepal Demographic Health Surveys of 2001, 2006, and 2011, together with data from the most recent Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey of 2014 performed in Nepal, were utilized for analysis. Results: Analyses revealed improvements (lower prevalence) of diarrhoea and fever/cough in children under five in Nepal over the last 15 years, with an equitable distribution of symptoms over socio-economic determinants. There was, however, a marked and maintained inequity in care seeking for these symptoms, with less educated mothers and those from poor households being only approximately half as likely to seek care for their children. Conclusions: Results highlight the persisting need for targeting care-seeking and societal barriers to treatment in order to achieve universal health access.

Trends and Factors Associated with Healthcare Utilization for Childhood Diarrhea and Fever in Ethiopia: Further Analysis of the Demographic and Health Surveys from 2000 to 2016

“…In our study, male children were more likely to get healthcare for diarrhea at health facilities as compared to females. is finding agrees with previous studies conducted in Bangladesh [21], Nigeria [32], and Nepal [29], while some researchers found no significant association between seeking healthcare for diarrhea and sex of a child [19]. Mothers who had a big problem of getting medical help for their children are less likely to seek medical treatment for fever.…”

“…e results revealed that factors related to healthcare use for childhood diarrhea and fever illness in Ethiopia differ from 2000 to 2016. e reason for this may be due to an improvement in the livelihood of the people, expansion of urban and rural to urban migration, expansion of health centers and infrastructure in the rural parts, increased awareness of mothers about the child feeding practices, and maternal and baby healthcare services use during and after delivery [29].…”

Diarrhea in Under Five Year-old Children in Nepal: A Spatiotemporal Analysis Based on Demographic and Health Survey Data

“…Boys and children in age 12-24 months were high risk groups of diarrhea and special attentions should be paid on prevention. However, girls and children in other age groups should not be ignored, and equal care seeking and access to treatment should be made in all groups when diarrhea occurs [69]. In addition, to reduce the prevalence of infant diarrhea, standard breast-feeding and supplementary food should be given, and infant health care should be strengthened [70,71].…”

Equity and Coverage in the Continuum of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Services in Nepal-Projecting the Estimates on Death Averted Using the LiST Tool

“…In terms of maternal health services, the access to the health facilities increased primarily in urban areas since the beginning of 2000 and the access gradually increased in rural areas. Women received skilled birth attendence through the birthing centres located in these accessed health facilities (Målqvist et al 2017b). Th indicators for the antenatal check-up and institutional delivery in Nepal improved after the introduction of the demand side financing for maternal health through the Safe Delivery Incentive Program (Ensor et al 2017;Witter et al 2011).…”