Table 1.
Distribution of bewitched deaths by background factors and socioeconomic status in Agincourt subdistrict, 1992–2006
| Background and socioeconomic factors | Bewitched | Non-bewitched | P value |
| Mean age in years (95% CI) | 36.12 (33.76 to 38.48) | 42.81 (42.15 to 43.46) | <0.001* |
| Age and sex, n (%) | |||
| <15 | 92 (6.9) | 1237 (93.1) | <0.001* |
| 15–49 male | 93 (6.2) | 1411 (93.8) | |
| 15–49 female | 110 (8.5) | 1191 (91.5) | |
| 50+ | 111 (4.1) | 2629 (96.0) | |
| Nationality, n (%) | |||
| Mozambican origin | 92 (5.1) | 1728 (95.0) | 0.071 |
| South African origin | 313 (6.2) | 4721 (93.8) | |
| Year of death, n (%) | |||
| 1992–1994 | 41 (5.8) | 668 (94.2) | 0.484 |
| 1995–1997 | 51 (5.9) | 816 (94.1) | |
| 1998–2000 | 82 (7.0) | 1085 (93.0) | |
| 2001–2003 | 109 (5.8) | 1775 (94.2) | |
| 2004–2006 | 123 (5.5) | 2124 (94.5) | |
| Highest education level, n (%) | |||
| None | 148 (4.7) | 3033 (95.4) | <0.001* |
| Primary | 99 (6.4) | 1447 (93.6) | |
| Secondary or above | 94 (7.5) | 1154 (92.5) | |
| Wealth group, n (%) | |||
| Most poor | 61 (5.6) | 1018 (94.4) | 0.859 |
| 2 | 64 (5.7) | 1055 (94.3) | |
| 3 | 75 (5.6) | 1266 (94.4) | |
| 4 | 86 (6.3) | 1279 (93.7) | |
| Least poor | 84 (6.4) | 1233 (93.6) | |
| Cumulative household deaths, n (%) | |||
| 1 | 254 (6.1) | 3897 (93.9) | 0.272 |
| 2 | 75 (5.1) | 1386 (94.9) | |
| 3 or more | 41 (6.7) | 569 (93.3) | |
| Terminal illness duration, n (%) | |||
| Sudden/acute (<2 weeks) | 120 (7.2) | 1544 (92.8) | 0.031* |
| Chronic (>2 weeks) | 250 (5.7) | 4119 (94.3) | |
| Treatment sought for terminal illness, n (%) | |||
| None | 27 (4.7) | 550 (95.3) | <0.001* |
| Western only | 87 (3.9) | 2146 (96.1) | |
| Western and traditional | 32 (12.8) | 219 (87.3) | |
| Traditional only | 240 (7.4) | 2998 (92.6) | |
*
Statistically significant associations.