Dataset Information

Occurrence of major infectious diseases and healthcare seeking among young children with disabilities in Sierra Leone using cross-sectional population-based survey data.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Children with disabilities are at risk of worse health outcomes compared to children without functional difficulties. Sierra Leone has one of the world's highest prevalences of functional difficulties among children, but little is known about the co-occurrence of major infectious diseases and healthcare-seeking behaviours among children with disabilities.

Methods

We used household survey cross-sectional data on children 2-4 years old and logistic regression models estimating ORs between functional difficulties and symptoms of infectious diseases including diarrhoea, fever and acute respiratory infection (ARI), adjusted for sex, age and stunting. We also examined whether caregivers sought advice or treatment for the illness from any source and if the child was given any treatment for the illness.

Results

There was an increased risk of fever among children with functional difficulty (adjusted OR (AOR)=1.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.8) and children with severe functional difficulty (AOR=1.6, 95% CI 1.0 to 2.7). Children with severe functional difficulty were also at increased risk of diarrhoea (AOR=1.8, 95% CI=1.1 to 3.3). There were no significant differences in seeking advice or treatment for diarrhoea, fever or ARI symptoms between the groups.

Conclusions

In Sierra Leone, children with functional difficulties, especially severe functional difficulties, more often have symptoms of major childhood diseases that are known to increase under-5 mortality.

SUBMITTER: Ekman AT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11202746 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Occurrence of major infectious diseases and healthcare seeking among young children with disabilities in Sierra Leone using cross-sectional population-based survey data.

Ekman Anna-Theresia AT Cherry Esagila E Sengeh Paul P Webber Nance N Jalloh Mohammad Bailor MB Orsini Nicola N Alfvén Tobias T Frielingsdorf Lundqvist Helena H

BMJ paediatrics open 20240625 1

<h4>Background</h4>Children with disabilities are at risk of worse health outcomes compared to children without functional difficulties. Sierra Leone has one of the world's highest prevalences of functional difficulties among children, but little is known about the co-occurrence of major infectious diseases and healthcare-seeking behaviours among children with disabilities.<h4>Methods</h4>We used household survey cross-sectional data on children 2-4 years old and logistic regression models estim ...[more]

PMID: 38925678

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Dataset Information

Occurrence of major infectious diseases and healthcare seeking among young children with disabilities in Sierra Leone using cross-sectional population-based survey data.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Occurrence of major infectious diseases and healthcare seeking among young children with disabilities in Sierra Leone using cross-sectional population-based survey data.

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