Table 1 Characteristics of children, their malaria episode and their households according to the delay in seeking care outside home
Children characteristics | Delay | p value* | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
≤24 h | >24 h | ||||
n | % | n | % | ||
Age group (years) | |||||
<1 | 28 | 52.8 | 25 | 47.2 | |
1–5 | 105 | 53.0 | 93 | 47.0 | |
>5 | 46 | 54.1 | 39 | 45.9 | 0.984 |
Sex of child | |||||
Female | 92 | 59.0 | 64 | 41.0 | |
Male | 87 | 48.3 | 93 | 51.7 | 0.051 |
Area | |||||
Urban | 130 | 59.4 | 89 | 40.6 | |
Rural | 49 | 41.9 | 68 | 58.1 | 0.002 |
Relationship of child to household head | |||||
Child/grandchild | 157 | 54.5 | 131 | 45.5 | |
Other | 22 | 45.8 | 26 | 54.2 | 0.264 |
Signs and symptoms | |||||
Fever (yes) | 149 | 51.6 | 140 | 48.4 | 0.118 |
Weakness (yes) | 65 | 60.2 | 43 | 39.8 | 0.081 |
Convulsions (yes) | 25 | 65.8 | 13 | 34.2 | 0.101 |
Nausea (yes) | 39 | 55.7 | 31 | 44.3 | 0.646 |
Headache (yes) | 12 | 41.4 | 17 | 58.6 | 0.179 |
Treated at home first | |||||
No | 73 | 67.6 | 35 | 32.4 | |
Yes | 106 | 46.5 | 122 | 53.5 | <0.001 |
Who took the child for treatment? | |||||
Father | 6 | 42.9 | 8 | 57.1 | |
Mother | 138 | 52.9 | 123 | 47.1 | |
Grandmother | 24 | 60.0 | 16 | 40.0 | |
Father and mother | 6 | 75.0 | 2 | 25.0 | |
Other | 5 | 38.5 | 8 | 61.5 | 0.404 |
Children in the household | |||||
Under 1 year old (yes) | 123 | 51.0 | 118 | 49.0 | 0.191 |
From 1 to 15 years old (yes) | 176 | 53.7 | 152 | 46.3 | 0.365 |
Household characteristics | |||||
Sex of the head of household | |||||
Female | 66 | 55.9 | 52 | 44.1 | |
Male | 113 | 51.8 | 105 | 48.2 | 0.472 |
Main source of money | |||||
Agriculture | 13 | 48.2 | 14 | 51.9 | |
Fishing | 2 | 50.0 | 2 | 50.0 | |
Hunting | 2 | 100.0 | 0 | 0.0 | |
Employee | 94 | 53.4 | 82 | 46.6 | |
Business | 57 | 50.9 | 55 | 49.1 | |
Other | 11 | 73.3 | 4 | 26.7 | 0.449 |
Wealth quintiles | |||||
Poorest | 26 | 37.1 | 44 | 62.9 | |
Second | 32 | 49.2 | 33 | 50.8 | |
Middle | 38 | 53.5 | 33 | 46.5 | |
Fourth | 37 | 58.7 | 26 | 41.3 | |
Richest | 46 | 68.7 | 21 | 31.3 | 0.005 |
Distance to nearest health facility | |||||
≤3km | 129 | 60.6 | 84 | 39.4 | |
>3km | 50 | 40.7 | 73 | 59.4 | < 0.001 |
Caregiver characteristics | |||||
Age | |||||
15–34 years | 102 | 51.8 | 95 | 48.2 | |
35 years or older | 77 | 55.4 | 62 | 44.6 | 0.513 |
Sex | |||||
Female | 174 | 52.6 | 157 | 47.4 | |
Male | 5 | 100.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.035 |
Ethnicity | |||||
Fang | 150 | 52.5 | 136 | 47.6 | |
Combe | 17 | 56.7 | 13 | 43.3 | |
Bisio | 3 | 100.0 | 0 | 0.0 | |
Ndowe | 9 | 52.9 | 8 | 47.1 | 0.415 |
Education | |||||
Primary school or less | 69 | 48.9 | 72 | 51.1 | |
Secondary school and+ | 110 | 56.4 | 85 | 43.6 | 0.175 |
Marital status | |||||
Widow | 6 | 50.0 | 6 | 50.0 | |
Married | 105 | 52.2 | 96 | 47.8 | |
Single | 67 | 55.8 | 53 | 44.2 | |
Divorced | 1 | 33.3 | 2 | 66.7 | 0.817 |
Relationship of caregiver to the household head | |||||
Wife | 75 | 48.7 | 79 | 51.3 | |
Mother | 2 | 66.7 | 1 | 33.3 | |
Self | 41 | 57.8 | 30 | 42.3 | |
Daughter | 42 | 59.2 | 29 | 40.9 | |
Sister | 12 | 54.6 | 10 | 45.5 | |
Others | 7 | 46.7 | 8 | 53.3 | 0.601 |
Considered malaria to be a problem | |||||
No | 27 | 45.0 | 33 | 55.0 | |
Yes | 152 | 55.1 | 124 | 44.9 | 0.156 |
Knew mosquitos cause malaria | |||||
No | 66 | 47.1 | 74 | 52.9 | |
Yes | 113 | 57.7 | 83 | 42.4 | 0.057 |
Someone in the house has died of malaria before | |||||
No | 168 | 54.37 | 141 | 45.63 | |
Yes | 11 | 40.74 | 16 | 59.26 | 0.173 |