Beliefs and practices during pregnancy, post-partum and in the first days of an infant’s life in rural Cambodia

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Research Article

Leakhena Neou¹  Kamsan Suon²  Sreymom Pol³  Claudia Turner⁴  Patricia Kingori⁵  Michael Parker⁵  Nicholas P. J. Day⁶ 

[1] Angkor Hospital for Children, PO Box 50, Siem Reap, Cambodia;Cambodia Oxford Medical Research Unit, Siem Reap, Cambodia;Cambodia Oxford Medical Research Unit, Siem Reap, Cambodia;Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand;Cambodia Oxford Medical Research Unit, Siem Reap, Cambodia;Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand;Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;Angkor Hospital for Children, PO Box 50, Siem Reap, Cambodia;Ethox Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand;Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;

关键词: Neonatal;    Pregnancy;    Postpartum;    Beliefs;    Healthcare;    Qualitative;    Cambodia;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12884-017-1305-9

 received in 2016-05-03, accepted in 2017-04-07,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to record the beliefs, practices during pregnancy, post-partum and in the first few days of an infant’s life, held by a cross section of the community in rural Cambodia to determine beneficial community interventions to improve early neonatal health.MethodsQualitative study design with data generated from semi structured interviews (SSI) and focus group discussions (FGD). Data were analysed by thematic content analysis, with an a priori coding structure developed using available relevant literature. Further reading of the transcripts permitted additional coding to be performed in vivo.This study was conducted in two locations, firstly the Angkor Hospital for Children and secondarily in five villages in Sotnikum, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia.ResultsA total of 20 participants underwent a SSIs (15 in hospital and five in the community) and six (three in hospital and three in the community; a total of 58 participants) FGDs were conducted. Harmful practices that occurred in the past (for example: discarding colostrum and putting mud on the umbilical stump) were not described as being practiced. Village elders did not enforce traditional views. Parents could describe signs of illness and felt responsible to seek care for their child even if other family members disagreed, however participants were unaware of the signs or danger of neonatal jaundice. Cost of transportation was the major barrier to healthcare that was identified.ConclusionsIn the population examined, traditional practices in late pregnancy and the post-partum period were no longer commonly performed. However, jaundice, a potentially serious neonatal condition, was not recognised. Community neonatal interventions should be tailored to the populations existing practice and knowledge.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017