Developing a decision-making model on traditional and complementary medicine use for children

Abstract 

Aim

To explore why parents choose traditional and complementary approaches to health for their children, particularly the influence of cultural beliefs and norms, and develop a conceptual model based on Andersen's sociobehavioural model.

Materials and methods

Focus groups with 92 parents from at least 20 different countries living in London, UK, explored the influence of predisposing, enabling, need factors and healthcare experience on traditional and complementary healthcare use for children. Themes were identified using Framework Analysis.

Results

Traditional home remedies including herbs, spices, foods, prayer and rituals were used by most parents, often as a first choice of treatment. Parents were categorised into one of seven typologies depending on how these approaches were used: informed, routine, committed, pragmatic, open, last resort and nonbeliever. All three components of the sociobehavioural model (predisposing, enabling, need) were involved in parents’ decision-making when using traditional and complementary healthcare for children.

Conclusions

The sociobehavioural model can be used to conceptualise parental decision-making process for child use of traditional and complementary healthcare. This process is crucial in promoting shared decision-making between primary care practitioners and parents and could inform service provision, delivery and policy.

Abbreviations: CAM, complementary and alternative medicine, SBM, Andersen's sociobehavioural model, TCA, traditional and complementary approaches to health

Keywords: Complementary therapies, Traditional medicine, Psychological models, Decision-making, Parents, Child