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10/24/2016  |   1:45 PM - 2:45 PM   |  BGPOP Building 4A/B/C

Parents and Caregivers Understanding, Perceptions, and Care-Seeking Practices for Ear Infections in Children Under Five Years Old

Introduction: Risky health-seeking practices, resulting in lack of awareness or due to lack of awareness, have been shown to significantly contribute towards an increase in ear infections. We conducted a study to evaluate parent and caregivers knowledge and care practices for ear infections in children under five years old in Gasabo district, Kigali, Rwanda. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study and used a structured questionnaire to collect data from 810 parents or guardians. The data were entered and cleaned using CSpro 6.2 and analysed under STATA 13. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 31.27 years (SD= 7.88, range 17 - 83). The urban dwelling population had a bigger proportion (53.3%) of respondents compared with the population in rural dwellings (46.7%). Perceived as the most common cause for ear infections were poor hygiene (50%) and water finding its way into the ears (27%). While poverty is a barrier for care-seeking (66%), lack of awareness (62%) is equally a barrier. Correlating knowledge with choice of source of treatment, respondents were 50% more likely to seek modern treatment (OR=0.52, CI 0.34-0.78, P=0.002). Moreover, a bigger proportion of parents who knew about ear infections were likely to use prescribed medications for treatment of ear infections (P=0.003). Conclusion: Education about ear infection––and making services available, acceptable, accessible, and cost-effective at the primary healthcare level––could go a long way in addressing the issue of chronically discharging ears and their consequences among the community.

• 1. To evaluate parents’ and caregivers knowledge and care practices for ear infections in children U5 in Gasabo district, Kigali, Rwanda.
• 2. To document perceived barriers to care seeking.
• To propose recommendations

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Kaitesi Mukara (Primary Presenter,Author), Kigali University Teaching Hospital, kaibat@hotmail.com;
Biography Dr. Mukara Batamuliza Kaitesi is a Rwandese Otolaryngologist and Audiologist . She is a senior Lecturer at the University of Rwanda’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences in the School of Medicine and Pharmacy. Kaitesi is the Head of ENT department, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Rwanda. She is also a CARTA fellow and a DAAD scholar pursuing a PhD in Public health at Makerere University, Uganda. Her research interest is audio-otology with a bias in primary health promotion and prevention interventions as well as advocacy and policies for ear and hearing health. She holds an MSc in Audiology from the University of Southampton in the UK, a Masters of Medicine degree in Ear Nose and Throat, Head and Neck Surgery from University of Nairobi in Kenya prior to which she was awarded a degree in Human Medicine from the now University of Rwanda.

ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - Nonfinancial -

AAA DISCLOSURE: Financial - No relevant financial relationship exists.

Peter Waiswa (Co-Author), Makerere University, pwaiswa@musph.ac.ug;
A medical doctor and a graduate of a Master of Public Health and the special joint PhD program between Karolinska Institutet, Sweden and Makerere University in Uganda. He extensive experience in health systems and health service management, and actively involved in community work in Uganda. He has research interests in low and middle income countries include health systems research including policy analysis, implementation and operations research, and how well these are linked to programming.

ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - Nonfinancial -

AAA DISCLOSURE: Financial - No relevant financial relationship exists.

Richard Lilford (Co-Author), University of Warwick, r.j.lilford@warwick.ac.uk;
Richard Lilford has over ten years experience as Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and over five years in the Department of Health. Currently he is Chair in Public Health at the University of Warwick. He additionally holds the position of Director for Warwick Centre for Applied Health Research and Delivery. Previously he was Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Birmingham, Vice-Dean for Applied Health Research and Director of the Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit. He directs the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research & Care for West Midlands (CLAHRC-WM); a NICE External Assessment Centre and is Co-Investigator on many other research grants. He also has an extensive research portfolio in Clinical Trials, Decision Analysis and Bayesian Statistics. He was a member of the Technology Strategy Board, Regenerative Medicine Mission delegation to the USA in 2010. Previous grants held include an EPSRC grant for Innovative Manufacturing: Regenerative Medicine; an EU Framework 6 grant, A Systems Approach to Tissue Engineering Processes and Products; and the Health Economic Workstream in the EPSRC Multidisciplinary Assessment of Technology Centre for Healthcare (MATCH). His greatest interest is in research methodology and Health Economics where his special expertise lies in supply side evaluations of new technology at the idea and design stages. He is Chair of the MRC/NIHR Methodology Advisory Panel and the DH Multiple Sclerosis Risk Sharing Scheme and is a NIHR Senior Investigator.

ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - Nonfinancial -

AAA DISCLOSURE: Financial - No relevant financial relationship exists.