부산대학교 도서관

Background: Prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment of fever can prevent severe disease and mortality. Delayed diagnosis and treatment of infections contribute significantly to the high underfive mortality ratio especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed the prevalence and associated factors to prompt diagnosis and treatment of fever among under-five children in Zambia. Methods: The study used secondary data from the Malaria Indicator Survey of 2021. Descriptive statistics using measures of frequencies, medians and interquartile ranges were done, and crosstabulations and logistic regression were used to assess measures of association. The significance level was set at a P-value of 0.05 and a confidence level of 95%. The data was analysed in STATA 14. Results: A total of 3003 under-five children were included, 728 (19.5%) had a fever in the two weeks preceding the survey. The prevalence of prompt health-seeking behaviour was 57.3% which raises concerns that 42.7% of the children with fever did not have prompt treatment within the same of the next day of fever onset. Male sex aOR = 1.52 (95%CI 1.10 - 2.12) and the use of IRS aOR 1.8(1.30 - 2.50) were associated with increased odds of prompt health-seeking behaviour. Conclusion: This study found that the prevalence of fever among under-five children in Zambia was comparable to other sub-Saharan African countries. Health-seeking behaviour among children with fever was sub-optimal, as a considerable proportion did not seek treatment. Factors associated with health-seeking behaviour among children with fever included sex and staying in a house with indoor residual spraying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]