Abstract

This study evaluates the effects of socio-economic, demographic and geographic indicators on the malaria rapid diagnosis test (RDT), using the baseline malaria indicator survey of 2007. This survey covered the Amhara, Oromiya and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia. A total of 224 clusters of, on average, 25 households each were selected. In total, 28,994 individuals participated in the survey. A generalized linear mixed model was used to analyze the data where the response variable was the presence or absence of malaria using the RDT. The results showed that for households with toilet facilities, clean drinking water and more living space, the chances of testing positive for malaria RDT decreased. Moreover, using malaria nets and spraying the house walls with anti-mosquito were found to be effective control measures.

Key words: Cluster sampling, interaction effect, mixed model, odds ratio, rapid diagnostic test.