Household Care Giving and Treatment Seeking Behaviour for Diarrhea In Children under Five Years in Kassenanankana District, Ghana.

Abstract

Children under five years of age constitute about 50% of all deaths in Ghana every year therefore any attempt to reduce mortality rate significantly should aim at the under five years. In order to have an effective child survival strategy, the understanding of where, when and why caregivers seek for health care for their under five year is very important. This is what is called the treatment seeking behavior. How communities manage these diseases amidst poor social amenities like transportation, health facilities and low or non-existent income to cater for costs involved is crucial. Key informant interviews, Focus group discussions, and a cross-sectional survey were conducted on carefully selected members of one of the sub-districts with high under five mortality rates in Ghana, the North Sub-district of the Kassena-Nankana District. This study aimed at describing the household care giving .and treatment seeking behavior of the community for the sick under five children with diarrhea. The caregivers’ ability to define and recognize diarrhea, treatment options available to caregivers, and the choices people make from the options and why, have been documented. The respondents perceived diarrhea as a common disease, which the mothers are able to define and recognize in their children. The signs and symptoms associated with diarrhea among caregivers include: frequent watery stools which could vary in color, high temperature, loss of appetite for food, thirst, noise and pain in the belly, stools with mucus, vomiting, sleeping a lot, crying a lot and sunken eyes. Home treatment with drugs like ORS is commonly the first line of action. Some may treat at home with herbs or with home remedies like ‘fermented flour fluid’. When the child fails to respond to home treatment, health facility is then sought as the second line of action. It was interesting to note that people do not go to drug store sellers for treatment, but rather to buy drugs prescribed from the health facility. Even when caregivers go first to the drug store, they are asked to go to the health facility first for prescription. Most people who go to the traditional herbalist for treatment, do so when the diarrhea becomes chronic and does not respond to medication from a health facility or when a cultural belief is attached to the diarrhea. The process of decision-making to seek for health care could be complicated. Usually the father takes the decision on when and where to go for treatment and when he is not around, the child’s grandmother takes the decision. However, in a situation where the father and grandmother are not around, the mother takes the decision only after consultations with the friends and neighbors. In conclusion, the decision-making to seek treatment for a child with diarrhea, is usually made by the father and the first line of action is usually home management with drags like ORS. Therefore, strategic child survival and educational programs should be targeted on the fathers. ORS should be made available to households for the treatment of diarrhea. This will ultimately reduce the under 5-mortality rate.