Table 4.
Total costs of seeking care relative to monthly household income for under-five children with cough and fever, Malawi 2005
| Variable | Number | Monthly household income(MWK)* | Direct costs (MWK)† | Travel time (min) | Waiting time (min)‡ | Total time spent (min)¶ | Total time costs (MWK)§ | Total costs (MWK)** | % of monthly income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 11 | 10,784 | 213.2 | 19.0 | 75.0 | 94.0 | 105.2 | 318.4 | 3.0 |
| Rural | 115 | 3,353 | 57.8 p<0.05 | 70.5 p=0.1 | 75.0 | 145.5 p=0.1 | 50.9 p=0.08 | 108.7 p<0.05 | 3.2 p=0.5 |
*Data from the Malawi Integrated Household Survey (30) measured in the local currency—the Malawi Kwacha;
†Direct costs include travel costs, user fees, and costs of drugs measured in the local currency—the Malawi Kwacha;
‡Waiting time was assumed to be 75 minutes for all caretakers in accordance to other studies (31);
¶ Sum of travel time and waiting time;
§ Average cost per minute (calculated as lost income per minute: monthly household income divided by four 40-hour work weeks) multiplied by total time spent;
**Sum of direct costs and total time costs.
MWK=Malawi Kwacha;
Min=Minutes