Sociodemographic and Clinical Determinants of Time to Care-Seeking Among Febrile XXXX Under-Five in North-Central Nigeria.

@entity1 @entity410 @entity43239 @entity36815 @entity221
OBJECTIVES: Our study sought to determine the time parents of febrile @entity1 under the age of five took to seek competent medical care. We also looked at the possible sociodemographic/ clinical factors that influenced this presentation. METHODS: Four hundred and nine under-fives presenting at the emergency unit with a history of @entity221 in the last 48 hours along with their mothers were recruited over four months. Relevant sociodemographic information as well as symptoms and duration of illness were obtained. Multinomial regression analysis was performed to determine the predictors of early and late presentation. RESULTS: Over half (57%) of @entity1 presented within 24 hours of onset of @entity221 . The mean age of the @entity1 and mothers were 22  15 months and 30  5 years, respectively. High social class ( @entity36815 , 95% CI 1.6-26.4), @entity43239 , 95% CI 5.7-65.6), @entity410 (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.6-6.5) and appearance of other symptoms (OR 6.0, 95% CI 3.0-12.0) were significant predictors of early presentation. Secondary school education, belonging to another ethnic group, and non-resolution of @entity221 were significant predictors of late presentation. CONCLUSION: The majority of febrile under-fives came to the hospital to seek competent medical care within the first 24 hours of illness. However, there is a need for more parental education on early hospital presentation for parents of low socioeconomic status and educational background.
