Predictors of delayed health seeking for febrile children: multi-level analysis of cross-sectional study data from southern Ethiopia.

Autor:	Chisha Y; School of Public Health, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia., Feleke T; School of Public Health, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia., Zeleke EA; School of Public Health, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia.; Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia., Aschalew Z; School of Public Health, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia., Abate ZG; School of Public Health, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia., Haile Y; School of Public Health, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia., Dalbo M; Department of Public Health, Arba Minch College of Health Sciences, Arba Minch, Ethiopia., Endriyas M; South Ethiopia Regional Public Health Institute, Jinka, Ethiopia.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Frontiers in public health [Front Public Health] 2024 Sep 09; Vol. 12, pp. 1417638. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Sep 09 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI:	10.3389/fpubh.2024.1417638
Abstrakt:	Background: Febrile illnesses are commonly reported as a primary reason for seeking healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa. Timely diagnosis and getting prompt treatment within 24 h of fever onset is crucial to avert the risk of developing severe complications and death. Understanding factors contributing to delayed health seeking is important for public health interventions. Hence, this study aimed to assess individual- and contextual-level factors associated with the delay in seeking prompt treatment for children with fever. Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2022 to June 2023 in Gamo zone, southern Ethiopia. Three districts were chosen, and then, from each district, six clusters or kebeles were chosen by simple random sampling. A total of 820 caregivers were randomly selected. A two-level mixed-effects logistic regression model was employed to identify factors associated with the delay in seeking prompt treatment. The associations were measured by an adjusted odds ratio (AOR), and statistical significance was declared at a 5% level of significance. Result: The prevalence of the delay in seeking prompt care was 47.8%. Factors contributing to the delay were caregivers who were aged 30 years and above [AOR 0.23, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.10-0.52], caregivers who followed the Protestant religion (AOR 3.67, 95% CI: 2.08-6.48), caregivers unable to read and write (AOR 5.32, 95% CI: 6.80-11.70), merchant caregivers (AOR 6.63, 95% CI: 2.75-15.97), caregivers who were exposed to only one media source (AOR 9.3, 95% CI: 8.43-15.60), caregivers with the experience of child death (AOR 0.05, 95% CI: 0.01-0.22), and caregivers seeking permission from their partners to access healthcare (AOR 12.64, 95% CI: 6.98-22.89). Conclusion and Recommendations: There was a high level of delay in seeking healthcare. Targeted community education through mass media, healthcare facilities, and community-level awareness campaigns should be strengthened to improve early treatment seeking and lessen the consequences of delayed treatment seeking. Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. (Copyright © 2024 Chisha, Feleke, Zeleke, Aschalew, Abate, Haile, Dalbo and Endriyas.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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