Abstract
History of upper respiratory tract infection in the mother or siblings was associated with higher risk of acute lower respiratory tract infection in cases. Most upper respiratory tract infections were caused by viral pathogens and likely to occur in many members of the family. The study aimed to determine the existence and pattern of relationship between risk of acute respiratory infection (ARI) among infants and exposure to pre-existing maternal/caregiver acute respiratory tract infection. The study was designed as a community-based Nested case-control study of 1100 infants randomly selected from 12 communities out of 6 Local Government Areas of the 3 senatorial districts of Rivers State. A multistage random sampling technique was used in selecting the subjects up to the community level. Descriptive method was used to represent the characteristics of the subjects and the differences in ARI between exposed and unexposed infants were tested in a bivariate logistics regression at 5% level of significance. Odds ratio (OR) was used to interpret the size effect measures of ARI on exposure to pre-existing maternal/caregiver ARI differences. A total of 275 Cases of ARI and 825 controls were included in the study. Among exposed infants (N = 104), ARI cases were found to be higher n = 80 (76.9%) than in control n = 24 (23.1%). Whereas, among unexposed infants N = 991, ARI cases were found to be lower n = 195 (19.7%) than in control n = 796 (80.3%). For the exposed infants, the odds for ARI were 13.5 times significantly higher compared to those of their unexposed counterparts (OR-Unadjusted = 13.52, (p < 0.0001, 95% CI = 0.047 - 0.121)). The findings will widen the horizon in the etiological consideration of ARI among infants vis-à-vis exposure potential to pre-existing maternal/caregiver ARI via nursing care. Therefore, community-based sensitization programme on barrier nursing care techniques and personal hygiene practices should be on focus.
Highlights
Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is defined as an infection characterized by presence of cough with or without fever for less than two weeks [1]
Pattern in view of epidemiology refers to variation in the manifestation characteristics of health-related events in persons [3], while risk factor in our present discuss refers to factor related to the host and or environment that increases the chances of morbidity (ARI) in infants
Literatures had reported low birth weight among infants as risk factor for acute respiratory infection (ARI) in young children; this implies that exposure to pre-existing maternal pneumonia may increase the potential for ARI in infancy from an epidemiological point of view, whose principle and theoretical concepts form the basis for this research work
Summary
Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is defined as an infection characterized by presence of cough with or without fever for less than two weeks [1]. According to [2], ARI is defined as “an episode of acute symptoms and signs resulting from infection of any part of respiratory tract or related structure, including nose, throat, larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, lungs, para-nasal and middle ear. The study from [4], reported that mothers with pneumonia were more likely to deliver prematurely, and have infants of lower birth weight. Literatures had reported low birth weight among infants as risk factor for ARI in young children; this implies that exposure to pre-existing maternal pneumonia may increase the potential for ARI in infancy from an epidemiological point of view, whose principle and theoretical concepts form the basis for this research work. Our focus in this study was infant exposure to maternal/caregiver respiratory secretions and or droplets by way of nursing care or proximity
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