Maternal Decision-Making Power and Care-Seeking Behaviors for Acutely Ill Children: A Multilevel Analysis of 33 Sub-Saharan African Countries.

ABSTRACT: Timely and appropriate healthcare seeking is crucial to reduce child mortality. However, rates of care seeking for acute childhood diseases remain low in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study investigated the association between maternal decision-making power and care-seeking behaviors for children with diarrhea and acute respiratory infection (ARI) in SSA. Demographic and Health Surveys from 33 SSA countries were used in a sample of mother-child pairs (mothers aged 15-49 years; children aged 0-59 months) with a recent child episode of diarrhea (N = 41,729) and ARI (N = 71,966). Maternal decision-making power was defined as making decisions on all four familial topics alone or jointly with the husband/partner. Care-seeking behaviors were measured as seeking care from health providers, other

SUBMITTER: Chi H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10859818 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature