Table 2.
Predictors of seeking any treatment in the previous 2 weeks among people reporting fever
| Characteristic | Febrile n | Sought any treatment n (%) | Crude OR (95% CI) | Multilevel* adjusted OR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | ||||
| Dry | 2,042 | 1,533 (75.1%) | 1.0 (ref) | – |
| Rainy | 1,537 | 1,182 (76.9%) | 1.10 (0.95–1.29) | – |
| Survey | ||||
| Dry season 2012 | 848 | 595 (70.2%) | 1.0 (Ref) | 1.0 (ref) |
| Rainy season 2013 | 727 | 519 (71.4%) | 1.06 (0.85–1.32) | 1.05 (0.82–1.34) |
| Dry season 2013 | 630 | 490 (77.8%) | 1.49 (1.17–1.89) | 1.58 (1.21–2.07) |
| Rainy season 2014 | 810 | 663 (81.9%) | 1.92 (1.52–2.42) | 1.95 (1.51–2.53) |
| Dry season 2014 | 564 | 448 (79.4%) | 1.64 (1.28–2.11) | 1.69 (1.28–2.24) |
| Household-level factors | ||||
| District | ||||
| Blantyre | 1,006 | 804 (79.9%) | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref)† |
| Thyolo | 1,105 | 793 (71.8%) | 0.64 (0.52–0.78) | 0.75 (0.50–1.13) |
| Chikhwawa | 1,468 | 1,118 (76.2%) | 0.80 (0.66–0.98) | 1.11 (0.72–1.71) |
| Distance to the nearest health facility (km) | Median: 2.456 | 0.92 (0.89–0.95) | – | |
| Range: 0.243–7.653 | ||||
| Blantyre | – | – | – | 1.10 (0.84–1.43) |
| Thyolo | – | – | – | 0.77 (0.68–0.88) |
| Chikhwawa | – | – | – | 0.90 (0.84–0.95) |
| Household wealth index | ||||
| Lowest quartile | 959 | 684 (71.3%) | 0.58 (0.47–0.73) | 0.67 (0.50–0.90) |
| Second quartile | 865 | 654 (75.6%) | 0.73 (0.57–0.91) | 0.81 (0.60–1.08) |
| Third quartile | 882 | 676 (76.6%) | 0.77 (0.61–0.97) | 0.82 (0.62–1.08) |
| Highest quartile | 834 | 676 (81.1%) | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref) |
| House construction quality | ||||
| Mostly unfinished | 1,782 | 1,319 (74.0%) | 1.0 (ref) | – |
| Mostly finished | 1,796 | 1,395 (77.7%) | 1.22 (1.05–1.42) | – |
| Eaves | ||||
| Closed | 2,542 | 1,910 (75.1%) | 1.0 (ref) | – |
| Open | 1,036 | 805 (77.7%) | 1.15 (0.97–1.37) | – |
| Highest education achieved by head of household or spouse | ||||
| No schooling | 613 | 438 (71.5%) | 0.58 (0.46–0.73) | – |
| Some standard level school | 1,908 | 1,417 (74.3%) | 0.67 (0.56–0.81) | – |
| Some education past standard 8 | 1,053 | 855 (81.2%) | 1.0 (Ref) | – |
| Individual-level factors | ||||
| Gender | ||||
| Female | 2,214 | 1,676 (75.7%) | 1.0 (ref) | – |
| Male | 1,365 | 1,039 (76.1%) | 1.02 (0.87–1.20) | – |
| Net use/access on previous night | ||||
| No nets in household | 594 | 420 (70.7%) | 0.68 (0.55–0.83) | 0.67 (0.53–0.85) |
| Nets in household, but not used by person | 764 | 561 (73.4%) | 0.78 (0.64–0.94) | 0.78 (0.63–0.97) |
| Person slept under a net | 2,221 | 1,734 (78.1%) | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref) |
| Age | ||||
| Children younger than 5 years | 914 | 732 (80.1%) | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref) |
| School-aged children (age 5–15 years) | 945 | 723 (76.5%) | 0.81 (0.65–1.01) | 0.87 (0.68–1.10) |
| Adults (age > 15 years) | 1,711 | 1,253 (73.2%) | 0.68 (0.56–0.83) | 0.72 (0.58–0.88) |
Bolded values are those that are significant at P < 0.05.
* Random intercepts included at the enumeration area (EA) and household levels. There was significant unexplained variation at the household level in the final model (P < 0.0001) but not the EA level. Estimates are adjusted for all other variables listed in this column.
† The final model included a significant interaction between district and distance to the nearest health facility. The estimated OR for each district was presented at 2.5 km from the nearest health facility.