| dc.description.abstract | This study was entitled; “The factors contributing to the use of traditional medicine among mothers who deliver from upper Mulago National maternity center, Kampala district.” Mulago National Referral Hospital has overtime been reported to have increasing statistics of pregnant mothers that use traditional medicines such as “mumbwa, Mululuza, ebombo, ejyobyo, lizard and human feaces”. As a result, the study was carried out to examine the socio-demographic factors contributing to the use of traditional medicine among pregnant mothers in Upper Mulago Referral hospital. To analyze the cultural factors contributing to use of traditional medicine among pregnant mothers in Upper Mulago Referral hospital as well as identifying health system factors contributing to the use of traditional medicine among pregnant mothers in Upper Mulago Referral hospital.
Using a cross sectional research design and adopting a quantitative research approach, the study was able to acquire information. Using Kreijce and Morgan, (1970), the study used a sample of 102 though only 98 filled and returned the questionnaires. Both primary data and secondary data were used in this study. To collect the necessary information, an open ended questionnaire was used after which data was cleaned, edited, coded and computed using excel to extract graphs, frequency tables and percentages.
The major findings of the study revealed that socio-demographic factors such as age, education level, income level, religion as well as standard of living influence pregnant women to use traditional medicine. Moreover, the findings revealed that traditional healers were the main suppliers of traditional medicine used by pregnant mothers were traditional healers and that they use it for fear of losing pregnancy, widening the pelvis as well as making delivery very fast. In addition, women‟sbeliefs, moral values, traditions and customs were the major cultural factors influencing pregnant women to use traditional medicine have an influence on the use of traditional medicine among pregnant women.
Furthermore, the study found out that bad language by medical staff, lack of enough drugs at health facilities, long distance to the health facility as well as poor transport infrastructure played an important role in determining the use of traditional medicine among pregnant women.
Basing on the conclusions made, the researcher recommended that the Government of Uganda through the ministry of health should design a national framework to regulate the use of traditional medicine in the country. Similarly, health facilities should offer health education to pregnant women and communities to empower them to ensure that they appreciate the effects of herbs on the fetus and the mother. | en_US |
