Factors associated with delay in treatment-seeking behaviour for fever cases among caregivers of under-five children in India: Evidence from the National Family Health Survey-4, 2015-16.
<h4>Background</h4>Fever is one of the common clinical symptoms found among children suffering from various illnesses. India carries a substantial burden of febrile illness among under-five children which heighten the risk of malnutrition, mortality and morbidity. This study aims to dete...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269844 |
| _version_ | 1818191450519633920 |
|---|---|
| author | Dhiman Debsarma Jayanti Saha Sagar Ghosh |
| author_facet | Dhiman Debsarma Jayanti Saha Sagar Ghosh |
| author_sort | Dhiman Debsarma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Fever is one of the common clinical symptoms found among children suffering from various illnesses. India carries a substantial burden of febrile illness among under-five children which heighten the risk of malnutrition, mortality and morbidity. This study aims to determine the factors associated with delay in treatment-seeking for fever among under-five children in India.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional study was carried out using the large-scale nationally representative data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), conducted in 2015-2016. The data were collected by using four survey questionnaires i.e., Household Questionnaire, Woman's Questionnaire, Man's Questionnaire, and Biomarker Questionnaire. Delay in treatment-seeking was defined as taking a child for treatment after 24 hours of fever onset. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were performed to assess the factors associated with delay in treatment-seeking behaviour for fever in under-five children.<h4>Results</h4>In India, 31.12% (n = 7229) of the caregivers sought treatment for children after 24 hours of the onset of fever. Findings show no significant differences in delay in treatment-seeking behaviour by age groups and sex of children. Multivariate analysis revealed that the odds of delay in treatment-seeking behaviour of fever were higher among children from the poorest wealth quintile (AOR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.85, 2.31), belonging to the scheduled tribe (AOR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.24, 1.48), children who resided in rural areas (AOR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.22), children from the northeast region (AOR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.46), and children of caregivers who perceived distance to health facilities as a 'big problem' (AOR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.23).<h4>Conclusion</h4>The study shows a high prevalence of delay in seeking treatment for fever among caregivers of under-five children in India. Delay in seeking treatment is associated with socio-demographic and socio-economic factors. Therefore, there is a need for intensified health promotion programs to sensitize caregivers on the importance of early health-seeking behaviour. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T00:14:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-551c7b0563bc4fccb84edd32ff62e4ce |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T00:14:48Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-551c7b0563bc4fccb84edd32ff62e4ce2022-12-22T00:44:52ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01176e026984410.1371/journal.pone.0269844Factors associated with delay in treatment-seeking behaviour for fever cases among caregivers of under-five children in India: Evidence from the National Family Health Survey-4, 2015-16.Dhiman DebsarmaJayanti SahaSagar Ghosh<h4>Background</h4>Fever is one of the common clinical symptoms found among children suffering from various illnesses. India carries a substantial burden of febrile illness among under-five children which heighten the risk of malnutrition, mortality and morbidity. This study aims to determine the factors associated with delay in treatment-seeking for fever among under-five children in India.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional study was carried out using the large-scale nationally representative data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), conducted in 2015-2016. The data were collected by using four survey questionnaires i.e., Household Questionnaire, Woman's Questionnaire, Man's Questionnaire, and Biomarker Questionnaire. Delay in treatment-seeking was defined as taking a child for treatment after 24 hours of fever onset. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were performed to assess the factors associated with delay in treatment-seeking behaviour for fever in under-five children.<h4>Results</h4>In India, 31.12% (n = 7229) of the caregivers sought treatment for children after 24 hours of the onset of fever. Findings show no significant differences in delay in treatment-seeking behaviour by age groups and sex of children. Multivariate analysis revealed that the odds of delay in treatment-seeking behaviour of fever were higher among children from the poorest wealth quintile (AOR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.85, 2.31), belonging to the scheduled tribe (AOR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.24, 1.48), children who resided in rural areas (AOR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.22), children from the northeast region (AOR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.46), and children of caregivers who perceived distance to health facilities as a 'big problem' (AOR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.23).<h4>Conclusion</h4>The study shows a high prevalence of delay in seeking treatment for fever among caregivers of under-five children in India. Delay in seeking treatment is associated with socio-demographic and socio-economic factors. Therefore, there is a need for intensified health promotion programs to sensitize caregivers on the importance of early health-seeking behaviour.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269844 |
| spellingShingle | Dhiman Debsarma Jayanti Saha Sagar Ghosh Factors associated with delay in treatment-seeking behaviour for fever cases among caregivers of under-five children in India: Evidence from the National Family Health Survey-4, 2015-16. PLoS ONE |
| title | Factors associated with delay in treatment-seeking behaviour for fever cases among caregivers of under-five children in India: Evidence from the National Family Health Survey-4, 2015-16. |
| title_full | Factors associated with delay in treatment-seeking behaviour for fever cases among caregivers of under-five children in India: Evidence from the National Family Health Survey-4, 2015-16. |
| title_fullStr | Factors associated with delay in treatment-seeking behaviour for fever cases among caregivers of under-five children in India: Evidence from the National Family Health Survey-4, 2015-16. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Factors associated with delay in treatment-seeking behaviour for fever cases among caregivers of under-five children in India: Evidence from the National Family Health Survey-4, 2015-16. |
| title_short | Factors associated with delay in treatment-seeking behaviour for fever cases among caregivers of under-five children in India: Evidence from the National Family Health Survey-4, 2015-16. |
| title_sort | factors associated with delay in treatment seeking behaviour for fever cases among caregivers of under five children in india evidence from the national family health survey 4 2015 16 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269844 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dhimandebsarma factorsassociatedwithdelayintreatmentseekingbehaviourforfevercasesamongcaregiversofunderfivechildreninindiaevidencefromthenationalfamilyhealthsurvey4201516 AT jayantisaha factorsassociatedwithdelayintreatmentseekingbehaviourforfevercasesamongcaregiversofunderfivechildreninindiaevidencefromthenationalfamilyhealthsurvey4201516 AT sagarghosh factorsassociatedwithdelayintreatmentseekingbehaviourforfevercasesamongcaregiversofunderfivechildreninindiaevidencefromthenationalfamilyhealthsurvey4201516 |