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Table 1 Baseline characteristics, by symptoms: children treated with RA versus children not treated with RA

From: Household costs and time to treatment for children with severe febrile illness in rural Burkina Faso: the role of rectal artesunate

Category CNS + other symptomsa No CNS but prostrated with other symptomsa Total
RA No RA RA No RA RA No RA
N % N % N % N % N % N %
Total no. of children 30 – 24 – 69 – 48 – 99 – 72 –
Child characteristics
 Child’s age, months
  < 36 mo 25* 83.3 13 54.2 61* 88.4 30 64.6 86* 86.9 43 59.7
  ≥ 36 mo 5* 16.7 11 45.8 8* 11.6 18 35.4 13* 13.1 29 40.3
 Child’s gender
  Male 14 46.7 13 54.2 32 46.4 27 56.3 46 46.5 40 55.6
  Female 16 53.3 11 45.8 37 53.6 20 41.7 53 53.5 31 43.1
  Missing – – – – – – 1 2.1 – – 1 1.4
Caregiver and household characteristics
 Caregiver’s gender
  Male 3 10.0 – – 24* 34.8 – – 27* 27.3 – –
  Female 27 90.0 24 100.0 45* 65.2 48 100.0 72* 72.7 72 100.0
 Caregiver’s age, years
  15–24 1* 3.3 6 25.0 11* 15.9 16 33.3 12* 12.1 22 30.6
  25–35 15* 50.0 14 58.4 37* 53.6 26 54.2 52* 52.5 40 55.6
  36–50 11* 36.7 2 8.3 19* 27.6 3 6.2 30* 30.3 5 6.9
  > 50 – – – – 2* 2.9 – – 2* 2.0 – –
  Missing/unknown 3 10.0 2 8.3 – – 3 6.2 3 3.0 5 6.9
 Education
  No education 23 76.7 23 95.8 56 81.2 40 83.3 79 79.8 63 87.5
  ≤ 7 years 7 23.3 1 4.2 9 13.0 8 16.7 16 16.2 9 12.5
  > 7 years – – – – 2 2.9 – – 2 2.0 – –
  Missing/unknown – – – – 2 2.9 – – 2 2.0 – –
 Occupation
  Unemployed – – – – – – 3 6.2 – – 3 4.2
  Agriculture 30* 100.0 16 66.7 68* 98.6 25 52.1 98* 99.0 41 56.9
  Self-employed (only or + agriculture) – – 8 33.3 – – 20 41.7 – – 28 38.9
  Missing/unknown – – – – 1* 1.4 – – 1* 1.0 – –
 Household food scarcity
  Never 22 73.3 18 75.0 48* 69.6 32 66.7 70* 70.7 50 69.5
  Seldom – – 4 16.7 – – 10 20.8 – – 14 19.4
  Sometimes 1 3.3 2 8.3 1* 1.4 6 12.5 2* 2.0 8 11.1
  Often – – – – 2* 2.9 – – 2* 2.0 – –
  Always 6 20.0 – – 16* 23.2 – – 22* 22.2 – –
  Missing/unknown 1 3.3 – – 2* 2.9 – – 3 3.0 – –
 No. of working people over 10 years of age in the household
  ≤ 2 10 33.3 13 54.2 20* 29.0 24 50.0 30* 30.3 37 51.4
  3–5 13 43.3 10 41.7 35* 50.7 23 47.9 48* 48.5 33 45.8
  6–10 5 16.7 1 4.1 9* 13.0 1 2.1 14* 14.1 2 2.8
  > 10 1 3.3 – – 2* 2.9 – – 3* 3.0 – –
  Missing/unknown 1 3.3 – – 3* 4.4 – – 4 4.0 – –
Illness characteristics
 Providers visitedb
  Traditional medicine only – – 3c 12.5 – – 10c 20.8 – – 13c 18.1
  Itinerant drug sellers/home stock only – – 7 29.2 – – 17 35.4 – – 24 33.3
  Traditional medicine and home stock – – 1 4.2 – – – – – – 1 1.4
  1 “modern” providerd – – 12 50.0 – – 20 41.7 – – 32 44.5
  2 “modern” providersd 29 96.7 1 4.2 69 100.0 – – 98 99.0 1 1.4
  3 “modern” providersd 1 3.3 – – – – – – 1 1.0 – –
 No. days lost caring for sick children: completed episode
  ≤ 2 d 12 40.0 8 33.3 8* 11.6 20 41.7 20* 20.2 28 38.9
  > 2–5 d 14 46.7 15 62.5 51* 73.9 26 54.2 65* 65.7 41 56.9
  > 5–8 d 4 13.3 1 4.2 9* 13.0 2 4.1 13* 13.1 3 4.2
  > 8 d – – – – 1* 1.5 – – 1* 1.0 – –
  1. RA rectal artesunate, CNS central nervous system (convulsions; altered consciousness/coma), mo months, d days
  2. * Test of heterogeneity: RA vs. no RA: p < 0.05
  3. aRepeated vomiting ± too weak to take oral medication/“lethargy”
  4. b1 child without CNS did not go to any provider
  5. cCNS: 1 child went to a traditional healer and 2 used local herbs at home; No CNS: 2 children went to a traditional healer, 8 used local herbs at home; Total: 3 children went to a traditional healer; 10 used local herbs at home
  6. d“Modern” defined to include community health workers, drug shops, dispensaries, health centres, and hospitals for RA children and drug shops, dispensaries, and health centres for non-RA children. Traditional or informal care providers could have been used before modern providers
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Malaria Journal

ISSN: 1475-2875

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