Self-reported illnesses in Thatta: Evidence from a rural and underdeveloped district in Sindh province, Pakistan.
<h4>Introduction</h4>Self-reported illnesses (SRI) surveys are widely used as a low-cost substitute for weak Disease Surveillance Systems in low- and low-middle-income countries. In this paper, we report findings of a district-level disease prevalence survey of all types of illnesses inc...
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293790 |
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| author | Muhammad Ashar Malik Rahat Batool Muhammad Ahmed Imran Naeem Abbasi Zafar Ahmed Fatmi Sarah Saleem Sameen Siddiqui |
| author_facet | Muhammad Ashar Malik Rahat Batool Muhammad Ahmed Imran Naeem Abbasi Zafar Ahmed Fatmi Sarah Saleem Sameen Siddiqui |
| author_sort | Muhammad Ashar Malik |
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| description | <h4>Introduction</h4>Self-reported illnesses (SRI) surveys are widely used as a low-cost substitute for weak Disease Surveillance Systems in low- and low-middle-income countries. In this paper, we report findings of a district-level disease prevalence survey of all types of illnesses including chronic, infectious, injuries and accidents, and maternal and child health in a rural district in Pakistan.<h4>Methods</h4>A district-level survey was conducted in Thatta in 2019 with a population-representative sample of all ages (n = 7811) a. Survey included questions on demographics and SRIs from the respondents. Prevalence was estimated for all SRIs categorized into six major and 16 minor illnesses. The influence of important socio-demographic covariates on the illnesses and multiple comorbidities was explored by estimating prevalence ratios with a Generalized Linear Model of the Poisson family and by Zero-Inflated Poison Distribution respectively.<h4>Findings</h4>36.57% of the respondents to the survey reported at least one SRI. Prevalence of communicable illnesses was 20.7%, followed by non-communicable illnesses (4.8%), Gastrointestinal disorders (4.4%), and injuries/disabilities (1.9%). Urban inhabitants were more likely to have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorders (3.34%) and Diabetes (1.62%). Females were most likely to have injuries (1.20,), disabilities (1.59), and Musculoskeletal Disorders (1.25). Children aged < 1 year (0.80) and elderly >65 years (0.78) were more likely to have comorbidities.<h4>Discussion</h4>Our estimated prevalence of SRI is quite higher than the prevalence of unknown SRIs in national-level surveys in Pakistan. This research's findings serve as an example of aiding evidence-based priority settings within the health sector. Our findings on gender, and young and old age as positive predictors of SRI are consistent with similar surveys in a few LMICs.<h4>Recommendation and conclusion</h4>We provide evidence of a complete disease profile of a district that is otherwise unavailable in the country. This study can reshape the existing health surveys and to aid evidence-based priority settings in the health sector. We, however, support strengthening the Disease Surveillance System as a reliable source of disease prevalence data. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ab73f75b159143528200c6ad16a776ee |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
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| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-ab73f75b159143528200c6ad16a776ee2025-02-07T05:30:39ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01201e029379010.1371/journal.pone.0293790Self-reported illnesses in Thatta: Evidence from a rural and underdeveloped district in Sindh province, Pakistan.Muhammad Ashar MalikRahat BatoolMuhammad AhmedImran Naeem AbbasiZafar Ahmed FatmiSarah SaleemSameen Siddiqui<h4>Introduction</h4>Self-reported illnesses (SRI) surveys are widely used as a low-cost substitute for weak Disease Surveillance Systems in low- and low-middle-income countries. In this paper, we report findings of a district-level disease prevalence survey of all types of illnesses including chronic, infectious, injuries and accidents, and maternal and child health in a rural district in Pakistan.<h4>Methods</h4>A district-level survey was conducted in Thatta in 2019 with a population-representative sample of all ages (n = 7811) a. Survey included questions on demographics and SRIs from the respondents. Prevalence was estimated for all SRIs categorized into six major and 16 minor illnesses. The influence of important socio-demographic covariates on the illnesses and multiple comorbidities was explored by estimating prevalence ratios with a Generalized Linear Model of the Poisson family and by Zero-Inflated Poison Distribution respectively.<h4>Findings</h4>36.57% of the respondents to the survey reported at least one SRI. Prevalence of communicable illnesses was 20.7%, followed by non-communicable illnesses (4.8%), Gastrointestinal disorders (4.4%), and injuries/disabilities (1.9%). Urban inhabitants were more likely to have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorders (3.34%) and Diabetes (1.62%). Females were most likely to have injuries (1.20,), disabilities (1.59), and Musculoskeletal Disorders (1.25). Children aged < 1 year (0.80) and elderly >65 years (0.78) were more likely to have comorbidities.<h4>Discussion</h4>Our estimated prevalence of SRI is quite higher than the prevalence of unknown SRIs in national-level surveys in Pakistan. This research's findings serve as an example of aiding evidence-based priority settings within the health sector. Our findings on gender, and young and old age as positive predictors of SRI are consistent with similar surveys in a few LMICs.<h4>Recommendation and conclusion</h4>We provide evidence of a complete disease profile of a district that is otherwise unavailable in the country. This study can reshape the existing health surveys and to aid evidence-based priority settings in the health sector. We, however, support strengthening the Disease Surveillance System as a reliable source of disease prevalence data.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293790 |
| spellingShingle | Muhammad Ashar Malik Rahat Batool Muhammad Ahmed Imran Naeem Abbasi Zafar Ahmed Fatmi Sarah Saleem Sameen Siddiqui Self-reported illnesses in Thatta: Evidence from a rural and underdeveloped district in Sindh province, Pakistan. PLoS ONE |
| title | Self-reported illnesses in Thatta: Evidence from a rural and underdeveloped district in Sindh province, Pakistan. |
| title_full | Self-reported illnesses in Thatta: Evidence from a rural and underdeveloped district in Sindh province, Pakistan. |
| title_fullStr | Self-reported illnesses in Thatta: Evidence from a rural and underdeveloped district in Sindh province, Pakistan. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Self-reported illnesses in Thatta: Evidence from a rural and underdeveloped district in Sindh province, Pakistan. |
| title_short | Self-reported illnesses in Thatta: Evidence from a rural and underdeveloped district in Sindh province, Pakistan. |
| title_sort | self reported illnesses in thatta evidence from a rural and underdeveloped district in sindh province pakistan |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293790 |
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