Comorbid patterns of anaemia and diarrhoea among children aged under 5 years in Ghana: a multivariate complex sample logistic regression analysis and spatial mapping visualisation

Abstract

Background Anaemia and diarrhoea are known independent causes of under-five morbidity and mortality. This study sought to investigate predictors of comorbid patterns of anaemia and diarrhoea using the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS). Methods The study employed analysis of secondary data from the 2014 GDHS. We performed a multivariate complex sample logistic regression and spatial analysis. Results The weighted prevalence of comorbid anaemia and diarrhoea was 9.28% with the highest burden (16.45%) found in the Upper West region. Independent predictors (risk factors) of comorbid patterns of anaemia and diarrhoea were children aged 6–23 mo (OR=2.17, 95% CI 1.42 to 3.33), male gender (OR=1.50, 95% C1 1.04 to 2.16), history of fever (OR=4.37, 95% CI 2.94 to 6.50) and living in a household with two children aged <5 y (OR=1.80, 95% CI 1.14 to 2.84). Protective factors were having a father with secondary or higher education (OR=0.57, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.97), living in a household with ≥6 members (OR=0.46, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.75) and living in a richer household (OR=0.38, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.89). Surface maps revealed inter-regional and subregional variations. Conclusion The study shows that the independent predictors of comorbid patterns of anaemia and diarrhoea among children aged <5 y in Ghana are age, gender, history of fever, the number of children aged <5 y in the household, parental education, household size and household wealth. The study identified zones to be targeted for cost-effective policy interventions.

Factors associated with comorbidity of diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections among children under five years in Ghana

“…Floors made of unimproved materials can serve as breeding grounds for disease-causing agents [ 25 ]. However, a study by Duah et al [ 1 ], showed no significant association between the main floor material and comordity among CU5 in Ghana. Though diarrhoea is a common variable in this study and that of Duah et al [ 1 ], the difference in the findings may be attributed to the latter study’s use of anaemia which is more related to nutritional defficiency compared to the use of ARI which is a respiratory disease.…”

“…However, a study by Duah et al [ 1 ], showed no significant association between the main floor material and comordity among CU5 in Ghana. Though diarrhoea is a common variable in this study and that of Duah et al [ 1 ], the difference in the findings may be attributed to the latter study’s use of anaemia which is more related to nutritional defficiency compared to the use of ARI which is a respiratory disease. In spite of this, our finding of an association with the type of floor material and comorbid condition plausibly suggests the vulnerability of CU5 to disease-causing organisms which may be found on surfaces of unimproved floor materials they have regular contact with.…”

“…The independent variables consisted of maternal characteristics, child-related factors, and household characteristics. These variables were selected based on factors identified in the literature as predictors of ARI and diarrhoea [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 11 – 13 ]. The maternal characteristics included the age of mother (15–19 years, 20–24 years, 25–29 years, 30–34 years, 35–39 years, 40–44 years, and 45–49 years), place of residence of mother (urban, and rural), educational level of mother (no education, primary, secondary, and higher education), marital status of mother (never in a union, currently married, and formerly married) and children ever born (1, 2–4, and 5 and above).…”

“…Globally, childhood mortality is an important public health concern and thus, the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 aims to reduce under-5 mortality rate to as low as 25 per 1000 live births by 2030 [ 1 , 2 ]. According to the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) [ 3 ], the world has made remarkable progress in reducing under-five mortality rate from 93 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 38 in 2019.…”

Faktor Yang Berhubungan Dengan Lama Rawat Inap Pada Balita Dengan Diare Akut Di Rsud Abdoel Wahab Sjahranie Samarinda

“…23 Anemia ini sering ditemukan pada saat aktivasi kekebalan sedang berlangsung pada berbagai gangguan termasuk infeksi, keganasan, autoimunitas, dan penyakit graftversus-host. 24 Anak dapat mengalami anemia bersamaan dengan diare diduga karena sitokin inflamasi seperti TNF-α dan IL-6, yang meningkat pada diare, juga terlibat dalam jalur inflamasi pada anemia penyakit kronis 25 .…”