Socioeconomic Condition and Prevalence of Malaria Fever in Pakistani Children: Findings from a Community Health Survey.

Atta Muhammad Asif; Muhammad Ramzan Tahir; Irshad Ahmad Arshad; Asif, Atta Muhammad; Tahir, Muhammad Ramzan; Arshad, Irshad Ahmad

<bold>Objective: </bold>We assessed the prevalence of malarial fever and its association with demographic and socioeconomic factors in children <5 years of age.<bold>Methods: </bold>Using the data of Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS), the socioeconomic condition (SEC) was assessed by using a household wealth index as a proxy indicator, generated through principal component analysis. Two-stage sampling was used for selection of households, and multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed.<bold>Results: </bold>The PDHS contains 10 935 children <5 years of age with valid information about malaria fever. In total, 36% (3930) children have malaria 2 weeks before the survey. A decreasing trend in prevalence of malaria fever was found with increasing SEC. Compared with SEC Quintile V, children of SEC Quintile I were more likely to get fever [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.40 (1.15-1.69)] and of SEC Quintile II [AOR = 1.23 (1.03-1.45)].<bold>Conclusion: </bold>SEC has a significant impact on the prevalence of malaria fever in the context of different regions in Pakistan.

PAKISTAN; CHILDREN; MALARIA; MULTIPLE correspondence analysis (Statistics); SOCIAL status; SOCIOECONOMICS

Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, 2018, Vol 64, Issue 3, p189

0142-6338

Academic Journal

10.1093/tropej/fmx047