Caregiver Decision-Making: Household Response to Child Illness in Sub-Saharan Africa

Hayley Pierce (), Ashley Larsen Gibby () and Renata Forste ()
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Hayley Pierce: University of California, Berkeley
Ashley Larsen Gibby: Penn State University
Renata Forste: Brigham Young University

Population Research and Policy Review, 2016, vol. 35, issue 5, No 1, 597 pages

Abstract: Abstract We draw upon a framework outlining household recognition and response to child illness proposed by Colvin et al. (Soc Sci Med 86:66–78, 2013) to examine factors predictive of treatment sought for a recent child illness. In particular, we model whether no treatment, middle layer treatment (traditional healer, pharmacy, community health worker, etc.), or biomedical treatment was sought for recent episodes of diarrhea, fever, or cough. Based on multinomial, multi-level analyses of Demographic and Health Surveys from 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, we determine that if women have no say in their own healthcare, they are unlikely to seek treatment in response to child illness. We find that women in sub-Saharan Africa need healthcare knowledge, the ability to make healthcare decisions, as well as resources to negotiate cost and travel, in order to access biomedical treatment. Past experience with medical services such as prenatal care and a skilled birth attendant also increases the odds that biomedical treatment for child illness is sought. We conclude that caregiver decision-making in response to child illness within households is critical to reducing child morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.

Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa; Demographic and Health Surveys; Child illness; Caregiver; Decision-making; Treatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11113-016-9396-y

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