Abstract: Introduction: Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) is one of the leading causes of under-five mortality in low-income and developing countries like India. This study aimed to investigate the spatial prevalence of ARI among children and its covariates in 707 districts of India. Methodology: National Family Health Survey-5 data has been used to show the spatial clustering of ARI prevalence and spatial association with the covariates across districts in India. We applied Moran’s I statistics and the Spatial Regression Model to fulfill the study objectives. Results: The results of Moran’s I=0.27 (p<0.001) indicate that spatial clustering exists in the prevalence of ARI among children across the districts in India. As a result, it detects 58 hot-spot and 66 cold-spot districts in India. Most hot-spot districts are from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Delhi, and some are from Maharashtra, Panjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, and Assam. The results of the Spatial Error Model (SEM) highlighted that Smoking exposure in the household (β: 0.03, p<0.05), mothers with asthma/respiratory infection (β: 0.27, p<0.001), children born with low birth weights (β: 0.06, p<0.01), children who had diarrhoea 2 weeks before the survey (β: 0.15, p<0.001), and concentration of particulate matter 2.5 (β: 0.02, p<0.001) were significantly associated with ARI prevalence. Conclusion: This information will help districts level policy formulation and advocacy, which can, in turn, play an important role in reducing child morbidity and mortality due to ARI. This may help achieve the country's SDG target of 3.2 by 2030.
Abstract: Introduction: Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) is one of the leading causes of under-five mortality in low-income and developing countries like India. This study aimed to investigate the spatial prevalence of ARI among children and its covariates in 707 districts of India. Methodology: National Family Health Survey-5 data has been used to show the...Show More