Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Geospatial and Social Factors Influencing Morbidity due to Acute Infection in Pediatric Patients in Matiari, Rural Pakistan.

Elise Corden
,
Saman Hasan Siddiqui
,
Yash Sharma
,
Muhammad Faraz Raghib
,
William Adorno III
,
Fatima Zulqarnain
,
Lubaina Ehsan
ORCID logo ,
Aman Shrivastava
,
Sheraz Ahmed
,
Fayaz Umrani
,
Najeeb Rahman
,
Rafey Ali
,
Najeeha T. Iqbal
,
Sean R. Moore
,
Syed Asad Ali
* ,
Sana Syed
*
Version 1 : Received: 5 October 2021 / Approved: 6 October 2021 / Online: 6 October 2021 (09:00:12 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Corden, E.; Siddiqui, S.H.; Sharma, Y.; Raghib, M.F.; Adorno, W., III; Zulqarnain, F.; Ehsan, L.; Shrivastava, A.; Ahmed, S.; Umrani, F.; Rahman, N.; Ali, R.; Iqbal, N.T.; Moore, S.R.; Ali, S.A.; Syed, S. Distance from Healthcare Facilities Is Associated with Increased Morbidity of Acute Infection in Pediatric Patients in Matiari, Pakistan. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 11691. Corden, E.; Siddiqui, S.H.; Sharma, Y.; Raghib, M.F.; Adorno, W., III; Zulqarnain, F.; Ehsan, L.; Shrivastava, A.; Ahmed, S.; Umrani, F.; Rahman, N.; Ali, R.; Iqbal, N.T.; Moore, S.R.; Ali, S.A.; Syed, S. Distance from Healthcare Facilities Is Associated with Increased Morbidity of Acute Infection in Pediatric Patients in Matiari, Pakistan. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 11691.

Abstract

Infectious disease is the leading cause of mortality in children under five. This study has investigated environmental factors related to the morbidity of acute respiratory infections (ARIs), diarrhea, and growth using geographical information systems (GIS) technology. Anthropometric, address and disease prevalence data were collected through the SEEM study in Matiari, Pakistan. Publicly available map data was used to compile coordinates of healthcare facilities. A Pearson correlation coefficient (r) was used to calculate the correlation between distance from healthcare facilities and participant growth and morbidity. Other continuous variables influencing these outcomes were analyzed using a random forest regression model. In this study of 416 children, we found participants living closer to secondary hospitals had lower prevalence of ARI (r=0.154, p<0.010) and diarrhea (r=0.228, p<0.001) as well as participants living closer to Maternal Health Centers (MHCs): ARI (r=0.185, p<0.002) and diarrhea (r=0.223, p<0.001) compared to those living near primary facilities. Our random forest model showed distance to have high variable importance in the context of disease prevalence. Our results indicated that participants closer to more basic healthcare facilities reported a higher prevalence of both diarrhea and ARI than those near more urban facilities, highlighting potential public policy gaps in ameliorating rural health.

Keywords

nutrition; pediatrics; geographic information systems; acute respiratory infections; diarrhea; growth

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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