Care seeking for childhood illnesses in rural Mtwara, south-east Tanzania: a mixed methods study-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

Care seeking for childhood illnesses in rural Mtwara, south-east Tanzania: a mixed methods study

Published:2024-05-03 Issue:7 Volume:118 Page:465-473
ISSN:0035-9203
Container-title:Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
language:en
Short-container-title:

Author:

Mshamu Salum¹²^ORCID,Meta Judith³,Sanga Casiana¹,Day Nicholas²⁴,Mukaka Mavuto²⁴,Adhikari Bipin²⁴^ORCID,Deen Jacqueline⁵,Knudsen Jakob⁶,Pell Christopher⁷⁸⁹,von Seidlein Lorenz²⁴

Affiliation:

1. CSK Research Solutions , Mtwara , Tanzania

2. Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford , Oxford , UK

3. Private Consultant, Social Scientist

4. Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University , Bangkok , Thailand

5. University of Philippines , Manila , Philippines

6. Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design, Conservation , Copenhagen , Denmark

7. Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Department of Global Health , Amsterdam , the Netherlands

8. Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development , Amsterdam , the Netherlands

9. Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute , Amsterdam , the Netherlands

Abstract

Abstract Background Care seeking was assessed in preparation for a study of the health impact of novel design houses in rural Mtwara, Tanzania. Methods A total of 578 residents of 60 villages participated in this mixed-methods study from April to August 2020. Among them, 550 participated in a healthcare-seeking survey, 17 in in-depth interviews and 28 in key informant interviews. Results The decision to seek care was based on symptom severity (95.4% [370]). Caregivers first visited non-allopathic healthcare providers or were treated at home, which led to delays in seeking care at healthcare facilities. More than one-third (36.0% [140]) of respondents took >12 h seeking care at healthcare facilities. The majority (73.0% [282]) visited healthcare facilities, whereas around one-fifth (21.0% [80]) sought care at drug stores. Treatment costs deterred respondents from visiting healthcare facilities (61.4% [338]). Only 10 (3.6%) of the households surveyed reported that they were covered by health insurance. Conclusions Quality of care, related to institutional factors, impacts timely care seeking for childhood illnesses in Mtwara, Tanzania. Ensuring accessibility of facilities is therefore not sufficient.

Funder

Hanako Foundation

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Link

https://academic.oup.com/trstmh/article-pdf/118/7/465/58449008/trae022.pdf

Reference27 articles.

1. World Trade Report 2021

2. Diarrhea and associated factors among under five children in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from demographic and health surveys of 34 sub-Saharan countries;Demissie;PLoS One,2021

3. Prevalence and determinants of acute lower respiratory infections among children under-five years in sub–Saharan Africa: evidence from demographic and health surveys;Seidu;SSM-Popul Heal,2019

4. Behavioural and socio-ecological factors that influence access and utilisation of health services by young people living in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: implications for intervention;Ngwenya;PLoS One,2020

5. Universal sustainable development goals. Understanding the transformational challenge for developed countries;Osborn;Report of a study by stakeholder forum,2015