Table 4.

Categories, subcategories, and examples of citations

Core category	Subcategories	Examples of codes	Citations showing category
Compatibility	Cultural construction of disease	–Disease is severe	“The caregivers rush (pneumonia cases) to health workers, because it is a feared disease. It is a serious disease. No one tampers with it; 10 out of 10 caregivers rush to the health worker, because pneumonia previously killed many children. Caregivers don't go for local herbs to cure pneumonia.”—male VHT
Compatibility	Cultural construction of disease	–Disease is caused by non-biomedical causes	“Caretakers also have false beliefs of millet extraction obulo, and when a child develops pneumonia, they relate it to false millet in the chest that is stopping the child from breathing well, so they put cuts on the child's chest to extract it…”—male supervisor
Compatibility	Compatibility with expectations of healthcare	–Services are easily accessible–Adequate supply of the right drugs– Good quality of services–Training of CHW	“I expect VHTs to check and test children before giving them drugs so that they know exactly what they are treating and to advise on how and when to administer these drugs … For pneumonia, I expect her to give me drugs that suit my child's age.”—participant, female FGD
Relative advantage	Financial benefits and non-financial benefits	–Services are free–Waiting time is shorter–Facility is nearer	“She makes follow-ups on the children she has treated yet she does all that free of charge. Some caregivers use a motorcycle to get to her place but sometimes we call her and she comes to our homes if we can't make it to her place.”—female caregiver
Simplicity		–Services are easy to access
		–VHTs give information in simple terms
Trialability		–If the services are free
		–If a significant other recommends it
Observability		–Reduced morbidity–Reduced mortality–Quick treatment–Quick recovery–Health facility decongestion	“Before the VHTs were selected and trained, it was very difficult to have young children treated as sometimes, one had no money, and once a child fell sick, we could resort to the use of traditional herbs as we look for the money to go to the health facility or drug shop, and this delay led to the death of many children. So with the coming of the VHT during the time when they had the drugs, all that had changed, as we could quickly run to the VHT in case of an illness.”—male caregiver
Complexity		–Program is not always functional–VHT possesses bad characteristics	“I didn't have drugs, so I referred her to the health center. After 4 days, she came back with another child, and I told her the same story. Now last week, she came back, and I still didn't have drugs; this time she asked me a question. What are you people doing if all the time you don't have drugs; then we shouldn't bother coming here, because you just hold titles of musawo, yet in the actual sense, you are not helping us.”—female VHT