Antibiotic prescribing practices for acute respiratory illness in children less than 24 months of age in Kenema, Sierra Leone: is it time to move beyond algorithm driven decision making?

Table 1 Demographic characteristics of children hospitalized with respiratory symptoms, Kenema, Sierra Leone October 2020-May 2022

Variables (N = 777)	N (%)
Sociodemographic characteristics
Sex
Female	365 (47.0%)
Age in months (median [IQR])	9.2 [5.2, 14.3]
Mother’s education
No education	253 (32.6%)
Primary education	92 (11.8%)
Secondary education	362 (46.6%)
Some or completed college	70 (9.0%)
Number of household members, (median [IQR])	8.0 [5.0, 12.0]
Number in household members aged < 5 years (median [IQR])	2.0 [1.0, 3.0]
Other household member with ARI* in 2 weeks prior to admission	238 (30.6%)
Smoker lives in the household	275 (35.4%)
Household uses an indoor burning stove	37 (4.8%)

ISSN: 1471-2334