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Geographic Disparities in Acute Respiratory Tract Infections among Children in South Africa

Sindiso Ndlovu, University of Witswatersrand
Clifford O. Odimegwu, University of the Witwatersrand

Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are a leading public health burden associated with poverty and an estimated 2.6 million deaths among children under 5years annually. Among other significant factors geolocation differentials result in varying ARTI outcomes. This study was therefore designed to estimate the extent to which geolocation (urban/rural) impacts ARTIs in South Africa. We applied multivariate logistic regression and threefold Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition technique on data for a sample of 7,156 under 5 children from the 2016 South African General Household Survey. Results showed that about 15% of the children were reported to have had ARTIs (group 1-urban; 19% and group 2-rural; 12%). Results from the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition technique showed that covariates as age of the child, social grant reception, race and maternal characteristics (education and marital status) operate significantly to affect the magnitude of the observed ARTIs.

Keywords: Health and morbidity, Decomposition analysis/methods, Children and youth, Population geography

See paper.

  Presented in Session 52. Spatial and Socioeconomic Determinants of Child Health