Maternal Perception about Neonatal Jaundice in Eastern Nepal: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Tweetable abstract: Perception of mothers about jaundice in newborn babies reflects their misconception and experience and also their family or societal belief.This is an open access article distributed on the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. This work may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, or otherwise used provided that the original work is properly cited. Author e-mails are available at the end of the article. AbstractBackground: Jaundice is a common problem in newborn babies and mothers have different misconceptions about it in Nepal. This study was conducted to explore mother's perception about the causes, recognition, management and outcome of neonatal jaundice. Methodology:In-depth interviews were conducted with 32 mothers of infants under six months of age with a history of jaundice in the neonatal period attending the outpatient department of Ilam District Hospital. Audio-taped data were transcribed and analyzed thematically.Results: Most of the mothers recognized jaundice in babies from yellow skin but some noticed it after being alerted by health workers or other people. They perceived jaundice in neonates as a serious condition. However, they were unclear about the cause and attributed it to breach in food restrictions, lack of hygiene or effect of evil spirits. Foods consumed by mothers during and after pregnancy were of concern, not only as a cause but also a remedial measure of jaundice. They usually resorted to traditional measures of avoiding certain foods and reported that health workers did not offer specific remedies and that some health workers even approved such practices. The perceptions of mothers were greatly influenced by family and societal beliefs and practices such as applying oil, sunbathing or avoiding various foods by mothers, often irrespective of advice from health workers. Mother-in-law and the health worker have had the prominent influence in mother's perception. Conclusion:The perceptions of mothers regarding recognition, seriousness, causes and treatment of jaundice in their newborn babies were mostly guided by their own misconceptions and experiences. However, the family and societal beliefs apparently had a big influence.

Causal Beliefs Affect Treatment Practices and Preferences for Neonatal Danger Signs in Northwest Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study

“…Food consumed during or after pregnancy was assumed to be both the cause and the remedy for jaundice. 23 In both studies, treatment practices and preferences were influenced by causal assumptions. In this study, causation assumptions also affected respondents' treatment preferences.…”

Caregivers perception of common neonatal illnesses and their management among rural dwellers in Enugu state, Nigeria: a qualitative study

“…14,33−35 Caregivers in this study perceived jaundice as being caused by febrile illnesses and prematurity. In other parts of Nigeria, Africa, and Asia, jaundice has variously been attributed to mainly: mosquitoes and yellow fever (Lagos, Nigeria), eating palm oil, infections, a breach in food restrictions, lack of hygiene, and evil spirits [ 14 , 33 , 35 ]. The view of mothers in this study that jaundice was harmless and would clear on its own was in stark contrast to that of women in Accra, Ghana, and Nepal, most of whom saw it as being dangerous, requiring medical attention [ 34 , 35 ].…”