Tsabedze BS, Habedi DSK. Caregivers' experiences and practices for malnourished children undergoing tuberculosis treatment in Eswatini.
Health SA 2024;
29:2349. [PMID:
38726061 PMCID:
PMC11079373 DOI:
10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2349]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Background
Eswatini is one of the countries affected by malnutrition and tuberculosis (TB) and some cases remained untreated. These two conditions are major public health problems.
Aim
This study aimed to explore and describe caregivers' experiences and practices of children's nutrition during treatment.
Setting
Baylor College of Nursing Children's Foundation - Eswatini (BCMCF-SD).
Methods
A qualitative study following a narrative design used purposive sampling to identify 12 caregivers of malnourished children and informed consent obtained. In-depth interview used semi-structured interview guide and digital voice recorder. Field notes were taken, transcribed, translated and analysed using NVivo version 11.
Results
Two themes emerged as home's nutritional situation and health facility's nutritional support. The study found that most of the caregivers gave children unbalanced diet, while those less than a year were mixed-fed. Some caregivers reported experience of lost breadwinners, unemployment and high number of children than what the family could afford. The caregivers' practices around food by prescription included inadequate supply of the ready-to-use therapeutic food and sharing of prescribed food supplies with other healthy children.
Conclusion
During treatment, children's caregivers need short health education and support. The Ministry of Health in Eswatini should consider using some comic books to guide that. Moreover, upscale vocational training promotes entrepreneurship and agricultural activities.
Contribution
Association of malnutrition and TB outcomes has provided evidence-based information for more comprehensive integration between nutrition programmes and tuberculosis programmes. The study's findings contributed to the growing body of knowledge about the association between malnutrition and diagnosed drug-susceptible TB among children aged from 0 - 15 years.
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