Characteristics Linked to Severe Malaria in Under Five Years Old Children at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, Hoima District

Abstract

This research aimed to identify the factors associated with severe malaria in children below five years old at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital in Hoima District. The study employed a cross-sectional approach, gathering both qualitative and quantitative data via participant self-administered and investigator-administered questionnaires. A sample of 384 children, aged 6 months to 4 years, participated using convenience sampling. The findings, presented with 95% Confidence Intervals (C.I), Odds Ratios (OR), and P-values, were calculated using Binary Logistic Regression with Pearson’s correlation in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 26. Visual representation utilized Microsoft Excel Software. The study had a response rate of 91.4%, encompassing 351 respondents, among whom 153 (43.6%) were male and 198 (56.4%) were female. The mean age was 2 years (with a standard deviation of 1.25 years). The malaria prevalence among these children attending HRRH was 27.4%. This prevalence was significantly linked to several factors: health serviceseeking behavior, caretaker’s education level, mosquito net usage, child’s age, and caretaker’s occupation, all exhibiting considerable influence on malaria in children under five. Pearson’s correlation indicated the significance of these variables: health serviceseeking behavior (0.139*, P=0.021), mosquito net use (0.286*, P=0.000), and health serviceseeking behavior (0.131*, P=0.021) with a 2-tailed test at a 95% confidence level, P<0.05. The high prevalence of malaria (27.4%) among children attending HRRH in Hoima District is notably affected by health service-seeking behavior, mosquito net usage, caretaker’s education, caretaker’s occupation, and the child’s age. Keywords: Malaria, children less than 5 years, Mosquito, Caretaker, Health service-seeking behaviour.