Local illness concepts--implications for management of XXXX in eastern Uganda.

@entity1 @entity55 @entity1741 @entity311 @entity221
BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is one of the major killers of @entity1 under 5 years. Prompt and appropriate management is crucial; yet, the care a sick @entity1 receives depends on caretakers' perception of illness and action taken. Hence, understanding of local illness concepts on @entity55 and caretakers' response is crucial for interventions aimed at improved management. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate local illness concepts involving childhood @entity221 , cough and difficult/fast breathing and how these concepts' influence management of @entity1 with potential @entity55 . METHODS: Key informant interviews with eight health workers and eight traditional healers and five focus group discussions, including presentation of a @entity1741 showing @entity1 suffering from respiratory problems, with mothers of @entity1 under 5 years old in Iganga/Mayuge Demographic Surveillance Site (DSS) in eastern Uganda. RESULTS: Many terminologies were used to refer to symptoms of @entity55 . Difficult/fast breathing was considered severe but was not presented among common childhood illnesses. Mothers were likely to interpret any condition involving @entity221 as @entity311 and had different preferred actions for difficult/fast breathing in their @entity1 . Although mothers mentioned using drugs at home for @entity55 related symptoms, they gave examples only of antipyretics. Health workers said mothers would use antimalarials and sometimes antibiotics to treat breathing problems. CONCLUSIONS: There is a community knowledge gap on symptoms and biomedical treatment for @entity55 . To promote appropriate management of childhood @entity221 , @entity55 and @entity311 as two separate illnesses should be highlighted, the role of antibiotics must be emphasized and local illness concepts should be addressed in behaviour change communication.
