Table 2.
Association of patient characteristics with antimicrobial prescription rate among infants hospitalized in Dhaka, Bangladesh (N = 448)
| Patient characteristic | Admissions, n (%) | At least one antimicrobial prescribed, n (%a) | Antimicrobial prescription rate (drugs per infant per day) | Unadjusted rate ratio (95% CI) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 448 (100) | 329 (73) | 0.25 (0.24–0.27) | — | — |
| Sex | |||||
| Female | 251 (56) | 187 (75) | 0.27 (0.24–0.29) | Ref | |
| Male | 197 (44) | 142 (72) | 0.24 (0.19–0.30) | 0.89 (0.77–1.04) | 0.14 |
| Age | |||||
| 0 to ≤28 days | 195 (44) | 134 (69) | 0.27 (0.25–0.31) | Ref | |
| 29 days to 3 months of age | 39 (9) | 32 (82) | 0.25 (0.18–0.36) | 0.93 (0.73–1.17) | 0.52 |
| 3–12 months of age | 214 (48) | 163 (76) | 0.23 (0.18–0.30) | 0.85 (0.73–0.99) | 0.03 |
| Preterm birth | |||||
| No | 387 (86) | 285 (74) | 0.26 (0.20–0.33) | Ref | |
| Yes | 61 (14) | 44 (72) | 0.25 (0.16–0.41) | 0.98 (0.76–1.25) | 0.86 |
| Low birth weightb | |||||
| No | 193 (73) | 136 (70) | 0.24 (0.21–0.27) | Ref | |
| Yes | 70 (27) | 44 (63) | 0.21 (0.15–0.31) | 0.89 (0.69–1.15) | 0.38 |
| Small for gestational ageb | |||||
| No | 136 (52) | 96 (71) | 0.24 (0.21–0.28) | Ref | |
| Yes | 127 (48) | 84 (66) | 0.22 (0.16–0.31) | 0.92 (0.75–1.14) | 0.46 |
| Duration of admission | |||||
| Below median (5 days) | 220 (49) | 121 (55) | 0.38 (0.33–0.43) | Ref | |
| At or above median (5 days) | 228 (51) | 208 (91) | 0.22 (0.17–0.29) | 0.58 (0.50–0.68) | <0.001 |
| Household wealth index | |||||
| Below median (0.035) | 225 (50) | 170 (76) | 0.25 (0.23–0.28) | Ref | |
| At or above median (0.035) | 223 (50) | 159 (71) | 0.26 (0.20–0.33) | 1.03 (0.89–1.20) | 0.65 |
| Maternal education level | |||||
| No schooling | 21 (5) | 14 (67) | 0.21 (0.16–0.28) | Ref | |
| Primary incomplete | 100 (22) | 74 (74) | 0.24 (0.13–0.44) | 1.14 (0.83–1.57) | 0.95 |
| Primary complete | 71 (16) | 50 (70) | 0.22 (0.12–0.40) | 1.01 (0.72–1.42) | 0.41 |
| Secondary incomplete | 156 (35) | 113 (72) | 0.27 (0.15–0.47) | 1.24 (0.92–1.69) | 0.16 |
| Secondary complete | 100 (22) | 78 (78) | 0.28 (0.16–0.50) | 1.33 (0.99–1.79) | 0.06 |
| Maternal employmentc | |||||
| Homemaker | 410 (92) | 297 (72) | 0.25 (0.23–0.27) | Ref | |
| Employed | 36 (8) | 30 (83) | 0.28 (0.22–0.36) | 1.12 (0.93–1.34) | 0.23 |
| Maternal age | |||||
| Below median (22 years) | 189 (42) | 143 (76) | 0.28 (0.25–0.31) | Ref | |
| At or above median (22 years) | 259 (58) | 186 (72) | 0.24 (0.19–0.30) | 0.86 (0.74–0.99) | 0.04 |
| Paternal education | |||||
| No schooling | 23 (5) | 17 (74) | 0.19 (0.14–0.24) | Ref | |
| Primary incomplete | 69 (15) | 52 (75) | 0.26 (0.14–0.47) | 1.38 (0.87–2.04) | 0.15 |
| Primary complete | 58 (13) | 44 (76) | 0.29 (0.16–0.53) | 1.57 (1.01–2.44) | 0.04 |
| Secondary incomplete | 156 (35) | 115 (74) | 0.26 (0.14–0.46) | 1.39 (0.92–2.08) | 0.12 |
| Secondary complete | 101 (23) | 73 (72) | 0.25 (0.14–0.44) | 1.34 (0.87–2.04) | 0.18 |
| Unknown/missing | 41 (9) | 28 (68) | 0.23 (0.12–0.46) | 1.26 (0.77–2.05) | 0.35 |
| Paternal employmentd | |||||
| Jobless | 15 (3) | 12 (80) | 0.27 (0.20–0.37) | Ref | |
| Day labourer or rickshaw driver | 60 (13) | 39 (65) | 0.20 (0.10–0.40) | 0.73 (0.50–1.06) | 0.10 |
| Private business owner or professional | 139 (31) | 96 (69) | 0.26 (0.13–0.49) | 0.94 (0.67–1.32) | 0.72 |
| Salaried job | 214 (48) | 168 (79) | 0.27 (0.14–0.51) | 0.98 (0.71–1.36) | 0.91 |
| Other | 17 (4) | 12 (71) | 0.23 (0.10–0.54) | 0.84 (0.49–1.44) | 0.52 |
a
Percent of admissions within the listed subgroup (row).
b
Data were missing for 185 admissions.
c
Data were missing for two admissions.
d
Data were missing for three admissions.
Preterm birth: gestational age <37 weeks at birth.
Low birth weight: weight <2500 g at birth.
Small for gestational age: weight for gestational age z-score below the 10th percentile based on the Intergrowth 21st Neonatal Standards.
Household wealth index: higher scores indicate greater household asset ownership relative to other participants of the MDIG trial (25).