Page 66 - GHES-2-2

Global Health Econ Sustain Attributes of Ebola epidemic in West Africa

Table 1. Descriptive statistics of outcome variables and related factors
Outcome variables n Min Max Mean Standard
deviation
Initial confirmed cases 66 0 545 63.5 141.44
Latest confirmed deaths 66 0 1,598 65.2 213.09
Female currently unemployed (%) in 2013 66 0.10 20 2.8 3.71
Male with some secondary education (%) in 2013 66 3 49 26.3 9.50
Main source of drinking water (% of the water from a compound, yard, or plot) 66 0 45 8.1 12.89
The prevalence and treatment of fever for children under 5 years old (% who sought treatment from 63 12 84 47.7 18.09
a health facility/provider) in 2013
Availability of soap (% of places where hand washing was not observed and soap was not shown) 51 0 7 0.5 1.04
Type of sanitation facilities (% of pit latrines with a slab) 66 0.9 442 30.3 53.3
Problems accessing health-care (getting permission to go for treatment) 66 0.5 49 11.3 9.66
Female recent sexual activity (% that never had sexual intercourse) 66 0.3 26 11.1 6.33
Water and soap available for hand washing (% of households where hand washing was not 51 0 20 3.8 4.04
observed) in 2013
Main source of drinking water (% of water from lakes, rivers, dams, or streams) 66 0 83 24.3 20.10
Disposal of children’s stools (% disposed of safely) 66 6 93 51.0 24.36
Problems accessing health care (not wanting to go alone) 66 0.2 51 18.5 12.05
Disposal of children’s stool (% buried) 66 0 22 3.1 4.85
Male with some primary education (%) in 2013 66 0.4 51 12.0 12.12
Water and soap for hand washing (% of households with water available but soap unavailable) in 51 0 55 10.2 10.75
2013
Female literacy (% who can read part of a sentence) in 2013 66 0 16 6.9 3.29
Male recent sexual activity (% reported having sexual intercourse one or more years) in 2013 66 0.10 18 5.3 3.70
The prevalence and treatment of fever for children under 5 years old (% who took antibiotic drugs) 62 2 62 30.3 12.99
in 2013
Total health expenditure (%) 66 0 40 3.9 6.45
Disposal of children’s stool (% left in the open) 66 0 50 12.1 13.74

(SD: 9.5%) had some form of secondary education, while showed a strong positive correlation with Ebola cases.
12% (SD: 12.1%) had some primary education. Regarding Conversely, women able to read part of a sentence (ρ = −0.1)
the prevalence and treatment of fever in children under and men who engaged in sexual intercourse within one or
5 years old, approximately 48% (SD: 18.1%) received more years (ρ = −0.2) exhibited negative correlations with
treatment from a health facility or provider, and 30% (SD: Ebola cases at the beginning of the outbreak (Table 2).
13%) were administered antibiotic treatment. Finally, Regarding the latest confirmed deaths, men with some
literacy rates among females showed that, on average, 7% secondary education (ρ = 0.6, p < 0.01), households relying on
(SD: 3.3%) could read part of a sentence. drinking water sourced outside of their compound, yard, or

3.2. Statistical analysis plot (ρ = 0.4, p < 0.01), children under 5 years old who sought
out fever treatment from health facilities/providers (ρ = 0.7, p <
The Spearman rho correlation analysis reveals significant 0.01), and households relying on lakes, rivers, dams, or streams
associations between various factors and the outcome as their main source of drinking water (ρ = 0.3, p < 0.05) showed
variable. At the onset of the outbreak, unemployed women significant positive correlation. In addition, households that
(ρ = 0.5, p < 0.01), men with some secondary education refused to demonstrate their availability of handwashing soap
(ρ = 0.5, p < 0.01), children under 5 years old who sought (ρ = 0.1) were positively correlated to confirmed Ebola deaths
treatment for fever from health-care facilities/providers reported toward the end of the outbreak. Conversely, women
(ρ = 0.7, p < 0.01), and children under 5 years old who who never had sexual intercourse (ρ = −0.6, p < 0.01) and
received antibiotic treatment to treat fever (ρ = 0.4, p < 0.01) households that refused permission to verify water and soap

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.2107