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Table 3 Symptoms children presented with and reasons caretakers gave for having used government or private providers

From: Utilization of public or private health care providers by febrile children after user fee removal in Uganda

Variable

Government

Drug shops & private clinics

Crude

OR (95% CI)

p-value

Adjusted

OR (95% CI)

p-value

Presenting symptom *

n = 151 (%)

n = 286 (%)

    

Cough

83 (55.0)

138 (48.3)

1.31 (0.88 – 1.95)

0.182

N/A

 

Running nose

105 (69.5)

205 (71.7)

0.90 (0.59 – 1.39)

0.640

N/A

 

Difficulty in breathing

30 (19.9)

62 (21.7)

0.90 (0.55 – 1.46)

0.660

N/A

 

Fast breathing

18 (11.9)

52 (18.2)

0.61 (0.34 – 1.09)

0.090

0.67 (0.32 – 1.40)

0.284

Convulsions

9 (6.0)

22 (7.7)

0.76 (0.34 – 1.70)

0.503

N/A

 

Pallor

4 (2.7)

11 (3.9)

0.68 (0.21 – 2.18)

0.514

N/A

 

Diarrhoea

49 (32.5)

67 (23.4)

1.57 (1.01 – 2.44)

0.042 †

0.98 (0.54 – 1.79)

0.947

Vomiting

44 (29.1)

56 (19.6)

1.69 (1.07 – 2.67)

0.024 †

2.07 (1.10 – 3.89)

0.024 ‡

Perception of provider*

n = 151 (%)

n = 286 (%)

    

Conduct of health provider

51 (33.8)

53 (18.6)

2.23 (1.41 – 3.53)

<0.001 †

1.70 (0.94 – 3.08)

0.077

Qualification of health provider

90 (56.6)

27 (9.5)

14.10 (7.67 – 25.92)

<0.001 †

10.32 (5.84 – 18.26)

<0.001 ‡

Experience of health provider

65 (43.3)

50 (17.5)

3.59 (2.26 – 5.71)

<0.001 †

1.93 (1.07 – 3.48)

0.030 ‡

Provider is polite

6 (4.0)

23 (8.1)

0.47 (0.19 – 1.19)

0.103

N/A

 

Good equipment

44 (29.1)

22 (7.7)

4.92 (2.74 – 8.81)

<0.001 †

1.88 (0.88 – 4.02)

0.103

Good infrastructure

20 (13.3)

14 (4.9)

2.96 (1.43 – 6.09)

0.002 †

1.31 (0.50 – 3.43)

0.576

Treatment being cheap

58 (38.4)

88 (30.9)

1.40 (0.92 – 2.11)

0.113

N/A

 

Provider is nearby

68 (45.0)

205 (71.9)

0.32 (0.21 – 0.49)

<0.001 †

0.62 (0.36 – 1.06)

0.080

Easier to get more treatment there

37 (24.5)

58 (20.4)

1.27 (0.79 – 2.03)

0.318

N/A

 

To get first aid

9 (6.0)

47 (16.5)

0.32 (0.15 – 0.68)

0.002 †

0.20 (0.08 – 0.52)

0.001 ‡

  1. The reference category was the government facilities.
  2. * Multiple answers were given for the presenting symptom or perception of provider.
  3. † Significant at bivariate analysis.
  4. ‡ Significant at multivariable analysis.
  5. N/A stands for Not Applicable. It is for those variables whose p ≥ 1 and were hence not included in the multivariable analysis.