Parental behaviors regarding fever in young children in Benin: study of population survey data

TL;DR

This study explores how parents in Benin seek care for fevers in young children, finding that geography and wealth influence their decisions.

Contribution

The study identifies key factors influencing care-seeking behaviors for childhood fever in Benin using national survey data.

Findings

Children with mothers facing difficult access to health centers are 30% less likely to receive care.

Mothers in the Hill region are significantly more likely to seek care compared to those in Alibori.

Higher socioeconomic status increases the likelihood of seeking care for febrile children.

Abstract

the search for care of parents in case of the febrile episode of children is not always systematic. This study aims to improve knowledge on health care research in cases of fever in children under five years of age in Benin.

this study used data from the Benin Demographic and Health Survey 2017-2018. Counselling or seeking care is defined as any child under 5 years of age who has a fever in the two weeks prior to the interview. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed using generalized linear model.

a total of 2465 children were surveyed. The model predicting seeking appropriate advice or care in febrile children in Benin was distance from the nearest health center, region, maternal age, and socioeconomic status. Indeed, febrile children whose mothers perceived difficult geographical access to the health center were 30% less likely to seek care, compared to children whose geographical access to the health center was easy (aOR=0.70 (0.54-0.90)). In addition, mothers living in the Hill region were more likely (AOR=5.73 (3.53-9.45)) to seek appropriate advice or care compared to those living in Alibori. In terms of socioeconomic status, children whose mothers were very wealthy were more likely to have their mothers seek care (aOR=1.93 (1.33-2.81))

interventions to improve universal primary health care coverage in terms of geographic accessibility, awareness and health literacy are the best allies for routine care.

Figures