WATERING THE NEIGHBOUR'S GARDEN: THE GROWING - CICRED

DECREASES IN MALE AND FEMALE MORTALITY AND MISSING WOMEN …
8b). There were somewhat larger differences with respect to presence
of ARI (Acute Respiratory Infection) symptoms (male/female difference
was 1.12 or 22 percent for boys versus 19.6 percent for girls).
There was also nearly equality in use of curative care provided by
trained providers for children who were sick with fever or diarrhoea.
However with respect to children who showed symptoms of ARI there
was a difference by sex (male/female differential is 1.39 or 23.3 percent
for boys and 16.8 percent for girls).
Somewhat different results were found in BDHS 1993-94 (Table
8c). This survey reported larger differences in male/female differences
in prevalence of ARI symptoms (1.26) than in BDHS 2004 (1.12). On
the other hand, BDHS 1993-94 showed smaller difference in use of
curative services between boys and girls who were reported to be ill
with ARI (1.06) than BDHS 2004 (1.39). Results of the 2004 survey
are, therefore, not always consistent with those of the 1993-94 survey.
The tentative conclusion to be drawn from Tables 8b and 8c is that
prevalence of childhood illnesses (as reported in surveys) could be
somewhat higher for boys than for girls and there could be similar
differences with respect to provision of curative care for these illnesses
by medical providers.
Table 8b Children aged under 5 with illness and percentage taken to health
provider, by sex and illness, 2004
Percentages of under-5
with illness (%)
Under-5 taken to a health
facility or provider (%)
Morbidity type Boys Girls Boys Girls
ARI
Fever
Diarrhoea
Source: BDHS, 2004.
22.0
40.8
7.7
19.6
39.3
7.3
23.3
19.8
16.3
16.8
17.2
15.1
Table 8c Male-to-female ratios of diarrhoea and ARI morbidity and treatment
among children aged under 3 years, BDHS 1993-94
M/F ratios
Morbidity type
ARI (2 weeks recall)
Diarrhoea (1 week recall)
Source: BDHS, 1993-94.
Prevalence of
illness
1.26
0.92
Any treatment
(among those
sick)
1.12
0.98
175
Visit to health
facility/ provider
1.06
0.96