Myths and Perceptions on Diarrhea and Use of ORS/Zinc among Mothers and Caregivers of under Five Years Old Children among a Nomadic Community in Kenya

Abstract

Objectives: Diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of death in children aged below five years in Kenya. Community and individual myths, perceptions and attitudes toward diarrhea does influence caregiver decisions and practices in the diarrhea prevention and management. This paper explores these myths and perceptions among mothers and caregivers the under five year old children in a nomadic Maasai community in Kenya.  Methods: Qualitative data was collected from 42 Key informants including chiefs, laibons, village elders, religious leaders and 12 focus group discussions, comprising of 86 caregivers of children under 5 years.  Transcriptions were entered into MAXQDA version 11 qualitative analysis programme to retrieve segments under each thematic area including myths and perceptions related to causation, prevention and treatment of diarrhea among under five years. Results: The reported myths and perceptions related to causation of diarrhea include: when child is teething, breast feeding while mother is pregnant, and having too much sex while child is still breast feeding.  The use of special herbs and deworming tablets were reported to protect children from diarrhea.  In addition, it was widely believed that herbs mixed with either blood or alcohol work better than modern drugs used in diarrhea management. The laibons and traditional birth attendants were the main sources of the herbal medicines in the community. Some respondents showed a strong lack of faith in the use of ORS for diarrhea management. Conclusions: There are serious myths and perceptions that can compromise prevention and management of diarrhoea in this community which need to be addressed.