Table 3.
Perception of mothers/caregivers regarding childhood illnesses in Hawassa city, Ethiopia, 2021.
| Variables | Responses | Frequency | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is there a childhood illness that can't be treated by modern medicine? | Yes | 23 | 6.3 |
| No | 343 | 93.7 | |
| What do you think is the cause of child illness? | Curse of God | 4 | 1.1 |
| Microorganisms | 214 | 58.5 | |
| Evil eyes | 15 | 4.1 | |
| Teething | 44 | 12 | |
| Poor hygiene | 51 | 13.9 | |
| Contaminated food | 33 | 9 | |
| Others | 5 | 1.4 | |
| What symptoms guide you to identify the severity of your child's illness? | Combined symptom of a disease(vomiting) | 162 | 44.3 |
| If the child refuses to eat/breastfeed | 175 | 47.8 | |
| If the illness continues for a long time | 29 | 7.9 | |
| Which person do you think is most successful in treating childhood illness? | Institutional health worker | 306 | 83.6 |
| Private drug shop owner | 45 | 12.3 | |
| Herbalist and others | 15 | 4.1 | |
| Where will you go to get treatment for your child when sick? | Governmental & private healthcare institutions | 257 | 70.2 |
| Home treatment | 13 | 3.6 | |
| Traditional treatment | 82 | 22.4 | |
| Others | 14 | 3.8 | |
| What do you think about the price of health services in your area? | Low | 1 | 0.3 |
| Fair | 129 | 35.2 | |
| High | 206 | 56.3 | |
| Very high | 30 | 8.2 | |
| How do you rate the distance from the health facility? | Near | 83 | 22.7 |
| Average | 216 | 59 | |
| Far | 67 | 18.3 | |
| What do you think is the overall approach of health professionals? | Very good | 6 | 1.6 |
| Good | 195 | 53.3 | |
| Fair | 78 | 21.3 | |
| Poor | 61 | 16.7 | |
| Very poor | 26 | 7.1 | |
| Satisfaction with health service | Very satisfied | 10 | 2.7 |
| Satisfied | 174 | 47.5 | |
| Poorly satisfied | 113 | 30.9 | |
| Not satisfied | 69 | 18.9 |