Minority mothers' healthcare beliefs, commonly used alternative healthcare practices, and potential complications for infants and children

Abstract

Purpose Complementary and alternative healthcare practices have increased substantially in the United States especially with low‐income ethnic minority mothers. These mothers often have provider mistrust, language barriers, differing health belief systems, and as a result are less likely to seek preventive health screening, access healthcare services, and use alternative remedies for their infants and children that are potentially harmful or lethal. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to examine healthcare beliefs, commonly used alternative healthcare practices, and their potential complications for infants and children. Data sources A search of CINAHL and PubMed (1980–2012) was conducted using the following terms: alternative healthcare practice, mothers’ health beliefs, cultural health beliefs, folk remedies, and infant health practices. Conclusion Given the changing U.S. population and an increasing immigrant population, examining alternative healthcare practices mothers use for their infants and children is especially important for providers in addressing healthcare for this group. Implications for practice The use of alternative healthcare practices is rarely discussed by parents with healthcare providers for fear of disapproval. When interviewing ethnic minority mothers and caregivers questions should include the use of alternative healthcare practices for infants and children and information regarding the potential dangers should be provided to them.

What determines immigrant caregivers’ adherence to health recommendations from child primary care services? A grounded theory approach

“…More specifically, immigrant caregivers reported divergences between some biomedical practices (eg, pharmacological methods of symptom relief and rigid nutritional recommendations) and more traditional, folk practices; the latter being perceived as more effective and less harmful than the former. Again, our findings are in line with previous research showing that immigrant mothers tend to use and believe in the effectiveness of alternative health practices in infant care (eg, herbal remedies) that have been passed from generation to generation and are deeply embedded in their culture (Hannan, 2015). When such practices and beliefs are perceived as being in conflict with health professionals’ recommendations, however, may negatively influence the delivery of care and adherence behaviors.…”

“…Such perceptions are also serious barriers to cultural sensitivity in clinical encounters. Health professionals' non-judgmental approach toward immigrants' alternative health practices is essential to an open and effective communication, which is crucial to safer and more informed clinical decisions regarding children's care (Hannan, 2015).…”

Newborn Care Practices of Mothers in Arab Societies: Implication for Infant Welfare

“…Practices related to ingestion of herbal tea and honey are contravened by current global health recommendations. It is suggested that feeding newborns with herbal tea or sugared water may lead to malnutrition (Thairu & Pelto, 2008), herbal toxicity (Dambisya & Tindimwebwa, 2003; Hannan, 2014; Kaplowitz, Perlstadt, Dziura, & Post, 2016; Ghorani-Azam et al, 2018), or induce botulism via honey ingestion (McKenna & Shankar, 2009).…”

Parents’ Strategies of Managing Minor Childhood Illnesses Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Jordan

“…Furthermore, based on a review of articles published between 1980 and 2012 in the United States, Hannan (2015) concluded that diverse alternative healthcare practices are regularly used. Mothers considered CAM practices effective as they passed from one generation to another.…”

“…Body-mind therapies include a large and diverse group of procedures or techniques administered or taught by a trained practitioner such as yoga, meditation, massage, acupuncture and relaxation techniques (NCCIH, 2016).The increased use of complementary medicines extends to the care of children. This requires that health care providers recognize the cultural context of CAM use from the parental perspective in order to adequately communicate with parents when providing care to children (Hannan, 2015). their parents.…”