Article Text
Abstract
Objectives To estimate the prevalence and determine the factors associated with the use of antibiotics in the management of non-bloody diarrhoea in children under 5 years of age in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
Methods We conducted a meta-analysis of demographic and health survey data sets from 30 countries in SSA. Pooled prevalence estimates were calculated using random effects model. Χ2 tests were employed to determine the factors associated with the antibiotic use.
Results The pooled prevalence of antibiotic use among cases of non-bloody diarrhoea in children under 5 years of age was 23.1% (95% CI 19.5 to 26.7). The use of antibiotics in children with non-bloody diarrhoea in SSA was associated with (p<0.05) the source of care, place of residence, wealth index, maternal education and breastfeeding status.
Conclusion We found an unacceptably high use of antibiotics to treat episodes of non-bloody diarrhoea in children under the age of 5 in SSA.
- infectious diseases
- tropical paediatrics
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Footnotes
Contributors AA conceived and designed the study. All authors oversaw its implementation. AA and DA planned and carried out the analyses. AA, BO and EO wrote the initial draft and all authors contributed writing to subsequent versions of the manuscript. All authors reviewed the study findings, read and approved the final version of the manuscript before submission.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.