Caregivers’ perceptions of and experiences with severe acute malnutrition among children aged 6 to 59 months in the Ari Zone, South Ethiopia: An exploratory-descriptive qualitative study.

Abstract

Background: Background: Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) threatens millions of lives of children under 5 years old worldwide. People sometimes do not perceive SAM symptoms in children as a problem, and most often, consult traditional health practitioners to solve the situation when it worsens. As studies have shown, there are different factors that hinder service from the context of awareness to practical situations. Objective: To explore caregivers’ perceptions of and experiences with severe acute malnutrition among children aged 6 to 59 months in the Ari Zone, South Ethiopia, 2023. Results: The ways in which caregivers manage SAM and its shared challenges were described using four predominant themes, namely, community-related challenges, hygiene and sanitation, food insecurity, and health system-related challenges. As a result, malnutrition is not well understood by families of children, and traditional practices, especially kella, have predominantly been performed in study areas with paradoxical diagnoses and identical symptoms of SAM. Economic incapability influences tackling SAM in children. The health system has limitations in terms of supplies, service delivery, and professional ethics. These situations need to be improved by working on community awareness and empowerment, strengthening the system and further investigating traditional practices.