Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Caregivers towards Disabled Children under- Five Years and It’s Influence on Clinical Outcome
Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Caregivers towards Disabled Children under- Five Years and It’s Influence on Clinical Outcome
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Date
2020-08
Authors
Sekyere, Owusu Frank
Ntiamoah, Poku Godwin
Gyamfi, Kwame R. Charles
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
American International Journal of Business Management (AIJBM)
Abstract
Delays in seeking appropriate medical care is one of the major factors contributing to severe
disease among children presenting to hospitals with severe forms of malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea (UNDP,
2015). This study therefore explored the knowledge, attitude and practice of caregivers towards sick disable
children under- five years in a local indigenous setting of Bawku. A cross-sectional descriptive study design
which was quantitative in nature was used and a convenient sampling technique was used to sample 200
caregivers seeking health care for their sick-disabled children at health facilities at the Bawku township of
which they responded to questionnaires which were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS) version 21. A Pearson’s correlation test was done to test variables with a significance of p value of ≤0.05
being considered statistically significant. There is a significant relationship between age (p=0.03), educational
status (p=0.001), marital status (p=0.05) as well as religious affiliation (p=0.003) and the three variables.
Findings of the study also showed that all respondents were aware that their children were sick and they have
been sick for some days but thought their children’s illness to be mild/moderate due to the combined symptoms
that was exhibited (78%) and hence 80% did not stop their daily routine to take care of their children and sought
treatment after the father made the decision. Economic factors such as low income levels, lack of transport
during illness, high cost of medical care and high cost of transport whilst socio-cultural factors such as low level
of education, lack of adequate health information, lack of support from partner and cultural barriers/beliefs all
influenced caregivers’ choice of care and practices for their sick children under five years. The study
recommends that there is the need to have an effective and functioning referral system in the health care
delivery system to ensure children are attended to promptly in health facilities at the onset of any illness
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Citation
SEKYERE, F. O., GYAMFI, C. K. R., & POKU, G. N. Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Caregivers towards Disabled Children under-Five Years and It’s Influence on Clinical Outcome.