COVID-19: Parents’ Healthcare-Seeking Behaviour for their Sick Children in Nigeria - An Online Survey

Abstract

Introduction: The current COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the wellbeing of children, either directly or through the effects of the response. Measures are in place to curb the spread of the virus in Nigeria, but little is known of the effect these stringent measures have on the healthcare-seeking behaviour of parents for their sick children. 
 Aim: This survey sought to describe parents’ healthcare-seeking behaviour for their sick children during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria.
 Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional.
 Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Nigerian parents with children less than 18 years of age, via an online Google doc questionnaire administered through WhatsApp instant messaging. Using snowball sampling technique, 260 respondents from affected Nigerian states were recruited over one month. Chi-square tested differences between variables in assessing if healthcare-seeking behaviour was affected; statistical significance level was set at p-value <0.05. 
 Results: The median age was 38 years (IQR:9); 155 (59.7%) were females, 167 (64.2%) had tertiary education, while 83 (31.9%) had low income. Half (50%) of the respondents cited that the lockdown had affected their healthcare-seeking behaviour for their sick children; this did not significantly differ by geopolitical zone of residence (χ2=3.90, p-value=0.42), and other variables. Thirty-seven 37 (14.3%) agreed their children couldn’t get routine immunizations as scheduled. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown considerably affected parents’ healthcare-seeking behaviour for their sick children in Nigeria. Contextual strategies aimed at health system strengthening and improved accessibility are needed to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on parental access and utilization of healthcare facilities.

Parental Factors Contribute to Childhood Cancer Abandonment Treatment During COVID-19

“…Although insignificant, it was also found that patients whose parents have poor attitudes and behavior related to COVID-19 infection also has an increased rate of abandonment. Previous research among childhood cancer reported that financial burden is the major cause of treatment abandonment, 12 - 14 however our study shows the correlation between socioeconomic impact with abandonment rate of treatment is insignificant. In addition, the difference in COVID-19 knowledge and social support were not significantly related ( Table 3 ).…”

“…6,11 There are many factors that influence a person's health seeking behavior, one study about health seeking behavior of mothers in India found that determination of healthcare-seeking behavior is governed by the combination of many factors, such as mother's ages, education, religion, ethnicity, culture, decision-making power, place of residence, and socio-economic status, as well as the cost, quality, and location of healthcare services. 12,13 In this study, we try to explore these factors that influence health seeking behavior in parents' whose children has cancer and associate it with their treatment abandonment during COVID-19 pandemic.…”

The need for a holistic approach toward pandemic control: lessons from a cross-sectional study on COVID-19 in Meghalaya, India

“…Despite adequate knowledge about COVID-19, some participants reported delay in healthcare seeking for routine illnesses during the pandemic. The delay in healthcare seeking [44][45][46][47], including the use of emergency services [48,49], and an increase in self-medication [50] during the pandemic have been reported earlier. This may have resulted in an increase in mortality from non-COVID-19 illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms [51].…”

“…This may have resulted in an increase in mortality from non-COVID-19 illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms [51]. A major reason for this is the fear of contracting COVID-19 at healthcare facilities [45,46]. Taken together, the findings highlight the importance of allaying public fear and perception and encouraging people to avail routine healthcare services, irrespective of the COVID-19 status of the patient.…”

Telemedicine – a Boon to Parents of Children with Health Care Needs During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study from India

“…Briggs et al 11 stated that strengthening the health care system and enhancing the accessibility development of contextual strategies are the prime needs to mitigate the pandemic effect and accelerate the health care facility access and utilization by parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents from India believed telemedicine facility as a ray of hope to meet their child’s surgical care needs.…”