BACKGROUND

Prompt and appropriate clinical management of malaria is critical for reducing the continued high burden of malaria among children under five years in sub-Saharan countries. However, more remains to be known about how a patient's socioeconomic status (SES) would affect the access to diagnosis of malaria.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study using the Demographic and Health Survey and Malaria Indicators Survey, we pooled the data of 38,567 febrile under-five children in 2016-2018 from 19 sub-Saharan countries. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the associations between SES and two binary outcomes: the visit to a health facility and a blood test for fever. Stratified analyses were further conducted by the type of health facilities (public hospitals/public primary healthcare facilities/private hospitals/private primary healthcare facilities) for the latter outcome.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight percent of the febrile children were taken to health facilities, among whom only 55% took blood tests. Compared to children from households in the highest wealth quintile, children in the lowest quintile were less likely to be taken to medical facilities [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.775, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.675-0.889]. Parents with more than secondary education were more likely to seek care (aOR = 1.830, 95% CI: 1.561-2.145) and to have blood tests (aOR = 1.729, 95% CI:  1.436-2.082) for their febrile children than parents without formal education. The probabilities of receiving blood tests at public hospitals and public primary healthcare facilities stayed relatively high across parental education levels and wealth quintiles, while these probabilities remained the lowest at private primary healthcare facilities, ranging from 0.100 (95% CI: 0.074-0.127) to 0.139 (95% CI: 0.083-0.194) across parental education levels and from 0.104 (95% CI: 0.078-0.130) to 0.125 (95% CI: 0.090-0.160) across wealth quintiles.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant socioeconomic disparities existed both in the access to health facilities and laboratory diagnosis of malaria in children in sub-Saharan African countries. These disparities were particularly evident in the private sector. Universal health coverage needs to be further strengthened to make formal healthcare in general and the laboratory diagnosis of malaria more accessible and affordable.