African traditional approaches to child health among teenage mothers in Kenya

Abstract

Traditional African healthcare beliefs and practices, are part and parcel of the maternal and child well-being in the Kenyan rural settings, particularly amongst vulnerable groups including teenage mothers. Focus has been given to this particular group because children born to adolescent mothers are at a high risk of health complications yet they frequently lack access to basic formal healthcare due to factors such as culture, economic challenges and social aspects. Due to these circumstances, traditional birth attendants, herbal medicine and spiritual interventions often shape caregiving behavior. This study explores ways in which African cultural traditions, influence health outcomes of children aged five and below born to adolescent mothers. In order to collect qualitative data, desktop research method was applied in synthesizing results from peer-reviewed articles, public health records and use of ethnography. Thematic analysis was conducted to come up with patterns, trends and associations from the data collected through coding. This analysis enabled the researcher to identify themes representing key patterns including communal caregiving, dependence on herbal medicine and spiritual healing, lack of trust towards biomedical systems and future prospects to incorporate traditional and modern health systems. The results show both the positive and negative aspects of African traditional practices. Even though cultural practices may help in provision of emotional and social support to adolescent mothers, they are also associated with delayed clinical interventions which may have detrimental effects. In conclusion, the study recommends the integration of cultural strategies in healthcare through the engagement of traditional practitioners, promoting reverential clinical settings and supporting adolescent mothers by ensuring they are fully included when adopting health policies.