ArticlePloS one2026
Pattern of family dynamics and treatment-seeking behaviour of caregivers of under-five children with uncomplicated malaria in a tertiary hospital in Ilesa, southwestern Nigeria.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundThe morbidity and possible consequent mortality resulting from malaria in children are either due to delayed treatment-seeking or preceded by an inappropriate treatment-seeking process. This study aimed to assess the relationship between the pattern of family dynamics and treatment-seeking behaviour of caregivers of under-five children with uncomplicated malaria.
methodsThis was a hospital-based cross-sectional study that recruited 350 child-caregiver pairs. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection, and it was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25. A p-value of < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant.
resultsThe family dynamics of the caregivers revealed that 82.3% of them had strong family support, four-fifths (80.3%) had functional families, and a little over half of them (58.3%) had monthly family incomes that fell below the defined household poverty line. Only 41.7% of the caregivers had appropriate treatment-seeking behaviour. Caregivers from lower-income families had 2.5 times higher odds of exhibiting inappropriate treatment-seeking behaviour compared to those from higher-income families (OR, 2.494; 95% CI, 1.486-4.184; p = 0.001). Caregivers with dysfunctional families were about four times more likely to have inappropriate treatment-seeking behaviour compared to their counterparts with functional families (OR, 3.766; 95% CI, 1.445-9.813, p = 0.007).
conclusionSignificant inappropriate treatment-seeking behaviour existed among caregivers of under-five children with uncomplicated malaria. Family factors related to inappropriate treatment-seeking behaviour were family income and family functioning. Strengthening the family and counselling on appropriate treatment-seeking is crucial to reducing malaria morbidity and mortality among under-five children.
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