Children's Perceptions and Self-treatment Practices in Relation to Malaria Associated Symptoms in Usigu Division, Bondo District

Abstract

This study explores self-treatment practices among children in relation to malaria associated symptoms in Usigu Division, Bondo District. Cultural Ecology theory which views people's health-seeking behaviour during illness episode as a cultural interaction with their natural environment guided the study, It argues that people adjust to their natural environment by means of their culture, The ecological approach also views distribution of disease in broad dimensions including; how factors or biology, culture and environmental pressure as well as 'the economic status of tile individuals influence distribution ofdiseuse. People arc seen as utilizing culture through the generations as a tool for adapting to and controlling their environment Data were collected through both quantitative and qualitative techniques, which included semi-structured surveys, focus group discussion and case histories. Data collected through surveys were coded and fed into computer for analysis using the SPSS computer package while qualitative data were summarized and analyzed qualitatively, some of it presented verbatim, that is, presented in the Iorm in which it was offered by the respondents. A total of203 children provided data for the study. or these, 139 responded to the individual semi-structured questionnaire while the remaining 64 participated in the focus group discussions. Twenty mothers of the study children were also involved in the study to provide case histories of previous illness 'episodes of their children and what they did in response to illness. The results show that malaria is a common everyday illness whose treatment during an episode depends on the family presumptive diagnosis at home and home treatment is the lirst remedy that people resort to. Other therapeutic choices arc made as illncsx progresses with more interpretation and reinterpretation or illness symptornx to explain the cause. Results of the study further indicate that individual perception of illness and the subsequent treatment practices as well as their knowledge of prevention of disease influence malaria control in the study area. I\. striking finding or the study was that selfmedication among school children is prevalent despite the fact that medicines education is not included in the school curriculum. It is recommended that efforts need to be put on health education geared towards rational use of drugs to help in reducing and controlling the prevalence of malaria in the study area.