Impact of maternal decision-making autonomy and self-reliance in accessing health care on childhood diarrhea and acute respiratory tract infections in Nepal.
Public Health
; 198: 89-95, 2021 Sep.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34388636
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to examine the impact of maternal decision-making autonomy and self-reliance in accessing health care on childhood diarrhea and acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) in Nepal. STUDYDESIGN:
This was a cross-sectional study.METHODS:
This study used data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016. Mothers aged 15-49 years provided information about the health of 5308 children included in this analysis. Composite measures of maternal decision-making autonomy and self-reliance in accessing health care were used as exposure variables. Childhood diarrhea and ARI in the 2 weeks preceding the survey were primary outcome variables. Descriptive statistics and multivariable survey-weighted logistic regression methods were used in the analyses.RESULTS:
Maternal decision-making autonomy was high for approximately one-fourth (24.7%) of the children's mothers, and 81.7% of children's mothers reported self-reliance in accessing health care as a big problem. Diarrhea among children in the prior 2 weeks was reported among 8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.9-8.4), whereas ARI was reported among 22% (95% CI 21.1-23.5). The children of women who viewed a lack of self-reliance as a big problem had a 88% (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.88, 95% CI 1.26-2.82, P < 0.01) higher odds of diarrhea and 59% (aOR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.29-1.95, P < 0.001) higher odds of ARI compared with children of women who did not view self-reliance as a big problem.CONCLUSIONS:
The study found a significant effect of maternal self-reliance in accessing health care on childhood diarrhea and ARI, independent of other sociodemographic factors. Improvement in maternal self-reliance in accessing health care of women is essential, particularly their autonomy with regard to healthcare seeking behavior and financial empowerment.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Infecções Respiratórias
/
Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Child
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Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
País/Região como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article