Table 2.

Major themes that emerged

Community knowledge	Overall low knowledge, with less knowledge about bCPAP compared with oxygen	“We are coming from the communities where we have no knowledge about this (bCPAP)."
	Negative thoughts about supplemental oxygen: ‘oxygen kills’	"In our community, we are told that when someone is on oxygen they die so quickly because oxygen increases the death pace.”
Feelings before treatment	Almost all very anxious due to things said in the community or the appearance of the oxygen cannula or bCPAP machines and face masks	"People say oxygen kills and this makes people feel afraid of the treatment. Someone ran away because she was afraid of the oxygen."
Alternative treatments	Traditional medicine includes use of herbs and ‘traditional medicine tattoos’	“My granny tried to help my baby using herbs… She used some to rub herbs against their ribs, and some she made them drink, but it never worked out.”
	Baby should be kept warm and environment clean	“The main cause of pneumonia is cold so if the child is kept warm it helps in that no coldness can penetrate them again.”
	Injections or paracetamol can be given at health centres	“When a child has suffered from pneumonia and you go to the hospital, the doctors give the child injection.”
Feelings after treatment	Caregivers remained supportive of both oxygen and bCPAP regardless of child’s outcome	"Oxygen helps but where the condition is not reversible, it does not. It takes someone to be lucky but it is helpful.”
	Frequently stated that they would encourage others to seek treatment	"I am capable of encouraging them… I tell them that if a child has pneumonia, take them to the hospital and if they want to give them bCPAP, accept it.”
Benefits to treatment	Helps the child breathe, allows child to feed and become more active and aids in the child's survival	“I felt good because my child was able to feed while they had the oxygen tubes in the nose.”
			Harms to treatment	Majority had no concerns, though some worried about bruising, rashes and nasal injury and bCPAP machine malfunctions	"I don’t think oxygen therapy can harm a child in any way because the oxygen that is found in the machine is the same that we breathe normally.”
						Education timing	Majority prefer information to be given before treatment	"It is not practical to just put the child on bCPAP before giving information to the mother… people say that this thing kills and if that can happen, the mother can be so afraid and maybe she can run away.”
Desire for community sensitisation	“I feel it is better to sensitise the people in the communities prior to their visits to the clinic because the people will have the information already.”

bCPAP, bubble continuous positive airway pressure.