Sociocultural Beliefs, Interpretations and Care Pathways: Implications for Childhood Cancer Education in Ghana.

In an urban Ghanaian context, this qualitative study explored parents’ sociocultural beliefs and interpretation of childhood cancers.Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of parents with children diagnosed with cancer (n = 25). A thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.The study revealed that sociocultural beliefs significantly influence how parents understand, interpret and respond to childhood cancer. Many parents associate the illness with a supernatural cause, such as witchcraft and evil forces, retribution and curses. In addition to that, some parents viewed the illness as a test of faith, a culturally mediated dietary practice, or lineage-related conditions, as well as social interpretations linked to family conflicts. The study found that family elders and extended kin also played a significant role in shaping decisions about where and when care can be sought. These misconceptions influenced parents to simultaneously seek traditional or faith-based healing during treatment, along with the biomedical treatment. Sociocultural beliefs shape the interpretations of cancers, particularly childhood cancers, in Ghanaian societies. These are sometimes misconceptions that arise because the cause of cancer as most biomedical professionals are not able to provide adequate explanations. These beliefs and interpretations inform care pathways, leading to late symptom presentation and a subsequent increase in mortality. The study highlights the need for the government and the Ghana Health Service to collaborate in addressing sociocultural myths, misconceptions and beliefs associated with childhood cancer through culturally sensitive cancer education programs for the public.