Preventive healthcare of infants in a region of Lebanon: parental beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate healthcare seeking behaviors of mothers for themselves and their infants in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, to identify attitudes and beliefs towards the preventive healthcare of infants and to assess whether a healthcare-based intervention program would be acc...
| Published in: | Maternal & Child Health Journal Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 83 - 91 |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
Mar2005
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=106489100&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 106489100 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 10927875 N9J jtl: Maternal & Child Health Journal issn: 10927875 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Mar2005 vid: 9 iid: 1 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature place: New York, New York artinfo: ui: 106489100 106489100 2005110606 10.1007/s10995-005-2451-7 NLM15880977 106489100 ppf: 83 ppct: 8 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Preventive healthcare of infants in a region of Lebanon: parental beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. aug: au: Atiyeh GN El-Mohandes A affil: INOVA Fairfax Hospital, University of Virginia, Falls Church, VA sug: subj: Health Beliefs Lebanon Health Resource Utilization Infant Care Lebanon Maternal Behavior Lebanon Parental Attitudes Lebanon Preventive Health Care Evaluation Adolescence Adult Analysis of Variance Attitude Measures Breast Feeding Contraception Utilization Data Analysis Software Descriptive Statistics Family Relations Female Grandparents Health Belief Model Health Services Accessibility Home Visits Immunization Infant Interview Guides Interviews Lebanon Maternal-Child Health Medically Underserved Middle Age Mothers Observational Methods Pearson's Correlation Coefficient Pregnancy Questionnaires Retrospective Design Socioeconomic Factors T-Tests Validity Human Adolescent: 13-18 years Adult: 19-44 years Infant: 1-23 months Middle Aged: 45-64 years Female ab: OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate healthcare seeking behaviors of mothers for themselves and their infants in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, to identify attitudes and beliefs towards the preventive healthcare of infants and to assess whether a healthcare-based intervention program would be accepted by the population. METHODS: Ninety-two interviews were conducted with women who had delivered a live birth in two hospitals in the Bekaa. The hospitals selected attracted women from different socioeconomic classes. RESULTS: Differences were found in adequacy of healthcare utilization based on household size, number of children and prenatal care utilization. There was a higher perception of barriers to healthcare by parents who did not seek adequate preventive care for their infants. Mothers of infants who had inadequate care had a lower perception of severity of illness and of physicians' ability to prevent illness. The population believes strongly that medical professionals are reliable sources of health information and guidance. Infants' mothers and grandmothers are important sources of healthcare-related information. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of preventive infant healthcare in the Bekaa need improvement. Any intervention must target mothers and grandmothers, as they appear to influence the medical care of infants. Other targets include parents of larger families. Dissemination of information regarding the seriousness of illness and the ability to prevent illness is required. The medical profession may influence health choices made by this population. However, further investigation of healthcare barriers, especially economic and geographic barriers, is needed. In preparing to improve healthcare utilization for infants in the Bekaa, local, regional and international organizations should refer to the population's beliefs, attitudes and behaviors described in this study, as these findings may aid in planning interventions that are likely to positively impact mothers and infants. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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