Table 1.
Treatment for childhood illnesses according to background characteristics
| Variables | Fever/Cough | Diarrhea | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment, n (%) | Total, n (%) | Treatment, n (%) | Total, n (%) | |
| Child’s age in months | ||||
| < 6 | 136(52.92) | 257 (100) | 08(33.33) | 24(100) |
| 6–8 | 100(44.64) | 224(100) | 12(46.15) | 26(100) |
| 9–11 | 87(40.85) | 213(100) | 17(48.57) | 35(100) |
| 12–17 | 152(38.38) | 396(100) | 33(45.83) | 72(100) |
| 18–23 | 118(36.42) | 324(100) | 13(30.23) | 43(100) |
| 24–35 | 251(39.10) | 642(100) | 24(38.71) | 62(100) |
| 36–47 | 179(29.83) | 600(100) | 19(31.67) | 60(100) |
| 48–59 | 146(27.92) | 523(100) | 09(18.75) | 48(100) |
| P < 0.001 | P = 0.050 | |||
| Gender | ||||
| Female | 550(36.50) | 1507(100) | 62(37.13) | 167(100) |
| Male | 619(37.02) | 1672(100) | 73(35.96) | 203(100) |
| P = 0.759 | P = 0.817 | |||
| Mother’s age | ||||
| Less than 20 | 191(37.67) | 507(100) | 25(39.68) | 63(100) |
| 20–34 | 898(37.15) | 2417(100) | 105(36.97) | 284(100) |
| Above 34 | 80(31.37) | 255(100) | 5(21.74) | 23(100) |
| P = 0.172 | P = 0.292 | |||
| Mother’s Education | ||||
| No education | 155(32.49) | 477(100) | 17(29.82) | 57(100) |
| Primary | 301(32.33) | 931(100) | 36(29.27) | 123(100) |
| Secondary | 546(37.37) | 1461(100) | 61(39.87) | 153,100) |
| Higher | 167(53.87) | 310(100) | 21(56.76) | 37,100) |
| P < 0.001 | P = 0.011 | |||
| Mother’s occupation | ||||
| No formal occupation/ Housewife | 904(38.00) | 2379(100) | 117(39.39) | 297(100) |
| Professionals | 61(35.67) | 171(100) | 9(34.62) | 26(100) |
| Agriculture | 122(30.12) | 405(100) | 4(14.81) | 27(100) |
| Others | 80(36.04) | 222(100) | 5(25.00) | 20(100) |
| P = 0.025 | P = 0.052 | |||
| No. of children | ||||
| 1–2 | 850(38.43) | 2212(100) | 103(40.23) | 256(100) |
| 3–5 | 303(34.55) | 877(100) | 31(29.52) | 105(100) |
| 6 or above | 16(17.78) | 90(100) | 1(11.11) | 9(100) |
| P < 0.001 | P = 0.044 | |||
| No of children under 5 | ||||
| 1 | 809(37.13) | 2179(100) | 95(39.75) | 239(100) |
| 2 | 296(35.92) | 824(100) | 32(30.19) | 106(100) |
| 3 | 64(36.36) | 176(100) | 8(32.00) | 25(100) |
| P = 0.824 | P = 0.209 | |||
| Place of residence | ||||
| Rural | 707(32.30) | 2189(100) | 75(30.00) | 250(100) |
| Urban | 462(46.67) | 990(100) | 60(50.00) | 120(100) |
| P < 0.001 | P < 0.001 | |||
| Wealth index | ||||
| Poorest | 196(27.41) | 715(100) | 24(27.27) | 88(100) |
| Poor | 191(32.21) | 593(100) | 20(24.39) | 82(100) |
| Middle | 236(36.31) | 650(100) | 24(36.92) | 65(100) |
| Richer | 264(39.88) | 662(100) | 25(38.46) | 65(100) |
| Richest | 282(50.45) | 559(100) | 42(60.00) | 70(100) |
| P < 0.001 | P < 0.001 | |||
| Division | ||||
| Barisal | 129 (35.34) | 365(100) | 18(36.00) | 50(100) |
| Chittagong | 239(38.49) | 621(100) | 35(37.63) | 93(100) |
| Dhaka | 188(36.43) | 516(100) | 25(36.76) | 68(100) |
| Khulna | 125(37.20) | 336(100) | 12(42.86) | 28(100) |
| Rajshahi | 142(34.22) | 415(100) | 14(37.84) | 37(100) |
| Rangpur | 153(39.13) | 391(100) | 7(29.17) | 24(100) |
| Sylhet | 193(36.07) | 535(100) | 24(34.29) | 70(100) |
| P = 0.761 | P = 0.973 | |||
| Access to electronic media | ||||
| Access | 33(60.00) | 55(100) | 4(44.44) | 9(100) |
| No access | 1136(36.36) | 3124(100) | 131(36.29) | 361(100) |
| P = 0.000 | P = 0.616 | |||
| Wanted last child | ||||
| Wanted then | 665(42.09) | 1580(100) | 75(40.98) | 183(100) |
| Wanted later | 146(36.05) | 405(100) | 26(42.62) | 61(100) |
| Wanted no more | 86(33.46) | 257(100) | 11(28.21) | 39(100) |
| P = 0.006 | P = 0.287 | |||
| Birth order | ||||
| First | 494(39.58) | 1248(100) | 69(46.00) | 150(100) |
| Second | 517(36.43) | 1419(100) | 53(31.74) | 167(100) |
| Third | 131(34.29) | 382(100) | 11(28.21) | 39(100) |
| Fourth | 27(20.77) | 130(100) | 2(14.29) | 14(100) |
| P < 0.001 | P = 0.009 | |||
| Religion | ||||
| Muslim | 1074(36.43) | 2948(100) | 125(36.66) | 341(100) |
| Non-Muslim | 95(41.13) | 231(100) | 10(34.48) | 29(100) |
| P = 0.154 | P = 0.815 | |||
| Household size | ||||
| 1–4 | 372(36.15) | 1029(100) | 45(38.79) | 116(100) |
| 5–6 | 396(34.80) | 1138(100) | 41(33.33) | 123(100) |
| Above 6 | 401(39.62) | 1012(100) | 49(37.40) | 131(100) |
| P = 0.060 | P = 0.656 | |||
| Father’s highest education | ||||
| No education | 230(29.34) | 784(100) | 28(29.17) | 96(100) |
| Primary | 337(33.60) | 1003(100) | 36(30.25) | 119(100) |
| Secondary | 394(40.25) | 979(100) | 40(37.74) | 106(100) |
| Higher | 207(50.24) | 412(100) | 31(63.27) | 49(100) |
| P < 0.001 | P < 0.001 | |||
| Distance of the nearest health facility | ||||
| Within community | 1046(37.32) | 2803 (100) | 115(38.08) | 302(100) |
| 1–3 | 121(32.88) | 368(100) | 18(28.57) | 63(100) |
| 4 and above | 2(25) | 8(100) | 2(40) | 5(100) |
| P = 0.199 | P = 0.357 | |||