ArticlePloS one2022
Traditional Medicine Beliefs and Practices among Caregivers of Children under Five Years-The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS), Western Kenya: A qualitative study.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed.
- Causes of Death Among Stillbirths and Children Aged <5 Years in Africa and South Asia - Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance, Seven Countries, 2016-2024.Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries (Washington, D.C. : 2002) · 2026Article
- "We are not sick, so why take medicine?" Community perspectives on barriers, facilitators, and implementation strategies for IPTsc in Ghana.Malaria journal · 2026Article
- Understanding the role of parental decision-making and quality of clinical care in under-5 mortality in Western Kenya: an application of the Three Delays model.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Health Misinformation in Ethiopia: Myths, Media Dynamics, Public Response, and Policy Implications: A Narrative Review.Public health challenges · 2026Review
- A multi-perspective assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and barriers to viral hepatitis care in Ghana.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Article
- School-associated measles outbreak driven by vaccination gaps, sociocultural barriers, and delayed detection in Gomba District, Uganda 2025.Discover public health · 2026Article
- Harnessing traditional healers role in strengthening Africa's public health response: A case study of Mpox outbreak.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Health seeking behaviour of caregivers of children under five and its determinants in Ho West and Adaklu districts, Volta Region, Ghana: a community-based cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Barriers to accessing and utilising under-five primary health care services in Vhembe District.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2024Article
- Guardians' involvement in the management of childhood illnesses in Vhembe district, Limpopo.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2024Article
- Unveiling autism spectrum disorder in South East Asia through a public health Lens.Frontiers in child and adolescent psychiatry · 2024Article
- Perspectives of Pediatric Vaccination Among the Batwa Community in Western Uganda: A Qualitative Study.Global pediatric health · 2024Article
- Research on natal and neonatal teeth in Africa: A systematic scoping review of empirical evidence.Health science reports · 2023Article
- The impact of cultural healthcare practices on Children's health in the United Arab Emirates: a qualitative study of traditional remedies and implications.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Medicinal Plants Used in the Management of Sexual Dysfunction, Infertility and Improving Virility in the East African Community: A Systematic Review.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2023Review
- Awareness and Attitude of Parents and Caregivers Regarding Harmful Traditional Medical Practices Towards Children in Aseer Region of Saudi Arabia.International journal of general medicine · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundApproximately 80% of the population residing in sub-Saharan Africa relies on Traditional Medicine (TM). However, literature on factors motivating the use of TM for children under the age of five in these settings is limited. Such information can guide policy formulation for integration of TM into mainstream health care services. This study aimed to describe the motivation on use of TM among caregivers of children residing in rural and urban communities in western Kenya.
methodsThe socio-behavioral sciences (SBS) arm of the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) program in western Kenya, conducted a cross-sectional qualitative study in Manyatta-an urban informal settlement located in Kisumu town and Karemo-a rural setting in Siaya County. We performed 29 in-depth interviews, 5 focus group discussions and 11 semi-structured interviews with community representatives (n = 53), health workers (n = 17), and community leaders (n = 18). All the participants were purposively sampled. We performed thematic analysis using both inductive and deductive approaches. Data management was completed on Nvivo 11.0 software (QSR International, Melbourne, Australia).
resultsOur findings reveal that some caregivers prefer TM to treat some childhood diseases. Use of TM was informed by illness beliefs about etiology of disease. We observed an appreciation from the study participants that malaria can effectively be treated by Conventional Medicine (CM) while TM was preferred to treat measles and diseases believed to be associated with supernatural etiology such as witchcraft, evil spirit or breaching cultural taboos. TM was also used in instances where CM failed to provide a diagnosis or when CM was 'slow'. TM in such cases was used as a last resort.
conclusionWe observed varied beliefs that motivate caregivers' choice of TM use among children in western Kenya. It is therefore crucial to consider perceptions and socio-cultural beliefs about illnesses when formulating interventions that are geared towards child health.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.