Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and determine the factors associated with the use of antibiotics in the management of non-bloody diarrhoea in children under 5 years of age in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of demographic and health survey data sets from 30 countries in SSA. Pooled prevalence estimates were calculated using random effects model. Χ2 tests were employed to determine the factors associated with the antibiotic use.
Results: The pooled prevalence of antibiotic use among cases of non-bloody diarrhoea in children under 5 years of age was 23.1% (95% CI 19.5 to 26.7). The use of antibiotics in children with non-bloody diarrhoea in SSA was associated with (p<0.05) the source of care, place of residence, wealth index, maternal education and breastfeeding status.
Conclusion: We found an unacceptably high use of antibiotics to treat episodes of non-bloody diarrhoea in children under the age of 5 in SSA.
Keywords: infectious diseases; tropical paediatrics.
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