Incidence and predictors of respiratory tract infections among birth cohorts in Ethiopia, 2023.

BACKGROUND

Respiratory tract infection (RTI) has been a predominant health problem worldwide, including Ethiopia. It is one of the major causes of under-five mortality in Ethiopia, accountable for 18% of total deaths. Nationwide studies on the incidence of respiratory infections and maternal risk factors are limited. Hence, this study was aimed to determine the incidence and predictors of respiratory infections among infants aged less than six months in Ethiopia, 2023.

METHODS

This was a retrospective follow up study using data from Performance Monitoring for Action Ethiopia (PMA Ethiopia). A two-stage cluster sampling technique was used to select a total 2,246 eligible study participants from 206 enumeration areas. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to identify independent predictors of respiratory tract infection incidence. Hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals and p value < 0.05 were used to declare statically significant associations between variables.

RESULTS

The incidence rate of respiratory tract infections among birth cohorts was 22.99 per 1000 infant weeks of observation. Infants born from mothers who sustained convulsion during labor had nearly doubled [AHR = 1.65, 95%CI (1.20, 2.28)] hazard or risk of developing respiratory tract infections than their counterparts. Similarly, infants born from mothers having prolonged labor (more than 12 h) had one and half times [AHR = 1.48, 95%CI (1.13, 1.93)] increased risk of developing respiratory tract infections as compared to their counterparts.

CONCLUSION

The incidence of respiratory tract infections is a significant public health concern in Ethiopia. Infants born to mothers with prolonged labor and convulsions need closer monitoring for early signs of respiratory tract infections.