Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Perceptions and health care seeking about newborn danger signs among mothers in rural Wardha

  • Original Article
  • Published:
The Indian Journal of Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To know mothers’ knowledge and explore their perceptions about newborn danger signs and health care seeking behaviors.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was undertaken in three of the 27 primary health centres of Wardha district with a population of 88187. Out of 1675 expected mothers, 1160 mothers in the area were interviewed by house-to-house visits. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS 12.0.1. In order to explore mothers’ perception of danger signs and actions taken, a triangulation of formative research methods like chapatti diagram and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was undertaken. The analysis of free list and pile sort data obtained was undertaken using Anthropac 4.98.1/X software.

Results

About 67.2 % mothers knew at least one newborn danger sign. Majority of mothers (87.4%) responded that the sick child should be immediately taken to the doctor but only 41.8% of such sick newborns got treatment either from government hospital (21.8%) or from private hospital (20%) and 46.1% of sick babies received no treatment. As told by mothers, the reasons for not taking actions even in presence of danger signs/symptoms were ignorance of parents, lack of money, faith in supernatural causes, non availability of transport, home remedy, non availability of doctor and absence of responsible person at home. For almost all the danger signs/symptoms supernatural causes were suspected and remedy was sought from traditional faith healer (vaidu) followed by doctor of primary health centre and private doctor.

Conclusion

The present study found gap between mothers’ knowledge and their health seeking behavior for sick newborn and explored their deep perceptions, constraints and various traditional treatments. Comprehensive intervention strategies are required to change behavior of caregivers alongwith improvement in capacity of Government health care services and National Health Programs to ensure newborn survival in rural area.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Government of India, Child Health Division, Department of Health and Family Welfare. Newborn Health: Key to Survival: Present Scenario, Current Strategies and Future Directions for Newborn Health in India, 2001.

  2. Bang AT, Bang RA, Baitule SB, Reddy MH, Deshmukh MD. Effect of home-based neonatal care and management of sepsis on neonatal mortality: field trial in rural India. Lancet 1999; 354: 1955–1961.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bhutta ZA, Darmstadt GL, Hasan BS, Haws RA. Communitybased interventions for improving perinatal and neonatal health outcomes in developing countries: a review of the evidence. Pediatrics 2005; 115suppl 2: 519–617.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Gary L, Darmstadt, Joy E. Lawn, Anthony Costello. Advancing the state of the world’s newborns. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2003; 81.

  5. Government of India, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness: training modules for Medical officers. New Delhi; 2005.

  6. Registrar General of India. Census of India 2001. [online]. [cited 2006 Jan 15]; Available from URL: http://www.censusindia.net/data/mah.pdf.

  7. Dawson S, Manderson L, Tallo VL. The focus group manual: Methods for social research in disease. Boston: International Nutrition Foundation for Developing Countries (INFDC);1993.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Hudelson PM. Qualitative research for health programmes. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Borgatti S. ANTHROPAC (computer program). Version 4.98.1/X Natik MA: Analytic Technologies; 1998.

  10. Awasthi S, Verma T, Agarwal M. Danger signs of neonatal illnesses: perceptions of caregivers and health workers in northern India. Bull World Health Organ 2006; 84: 819–826.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Bhandari N, Bahl R, Taneja S, Martines J, Bhan MK. Pathways to infant mortality in urban slums of Delhi, India: implications for improving the quality of community and hospital based programmes. J Health Pop Nutr 2002; 20: 148–155.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Kaushal M, Aggarwal R, Singal A, Shukla H, Kapoor SK, Paul VK. Breastfeeding practices and health-seeking behavior for neonatal sickness in a rural community. J Trop Pediatr 2005; 51: 366–376.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Hubley JH. Barriers to health education in developing countries. Health Education Research 1986; 1: 233–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Mukhopadhyay A, ed. The Independent Commission on Health. New Delhi: Voluntary Health Association of India; 1997; 319–337.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. R. Deshmukh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dongre, A.R., Deshmukh, P.R. & Garg, B.S. Perceptions and health care seeking about newborn danger signs among mothers in rural Wardha. Indian J Pediatr 75, 325–329 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-008-0032-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-008-0032-7

Key words

Navigation