PREVALENCE OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE PRACTICES AMONGST MOTHERS OF UNDER-FIVE CHILDREN AT THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL OWERRI, IMO STATE, SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA

Abstract

Introduction: Traditional medicine is sometimes known as alternative medicine. It is an indigenous medical system based on the beliefs about the causes of illness as well as the customs and culture of the people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), traditional medicine is "the knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures, used in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness." There are a lot of issues with using traditional remedies. First of all, unlike orthodox treatments, the body cannot metabolize traditional medicines naturally. There are very few standardized dosages available to avoid side effects. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of traditional medicine practices amongst mothers of under-five children at Federal University Teaching Hospital, Owerri. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study from 1^st October to 31^st December 2022. A simple random sampling technique by balloting was used to select the study participants. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and were analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: Seven (2.9%) of the respondents always use traditional medicine while, 65 (26.6%) sometimes engaged in traditional medicine practices but the majority of the respondents had never engaged in traditional medical practices, 98 (40.2%). Seventy-four (30.3%) had rarely used it. Forty-one (56.9%) people evaluated it years ago, out of the many. There was no statistically significant association between the socio-demographic factors and the reasons for using traditional medicine practices. Conclusion: The prevalence of traditional medicine practices among mothers of under-five children was found to be very low among those who always use traditional medical practices and low among those who sometimes engage in traditional medicine practices. This study therefore recommends more health education on the advantages and benefits of orthodox medicine for these mothers.