Health beliefs and behaviours of families towards the health needs of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Background: This paper explored the health beliefs and behaviours of families towards the health needs of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Accra, Ghana. The aim was to inform health promotion strategies for the children and their families.

Method: Twenty-two parents of children with IDD participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews were the primary means of data collection. The interviews were analysed using constant comparison.

Results: The signs that alerted the parents that the children might be ill included high temperature, vomiting and excessive sleep. The parents explained that some children expressed feelings of ill-health through verbal or non-verbal communication. Most of the parents self-prescribed medication for the children or waited for symptoms to persist for a while before accessing health care because they experienced difficulties managing the behavioural challenges associated with the IDD of the children in public and attitudinal barriers when accessing health care. The parents did not often patronise health facilities in their neighbourhoods due to private health insurance requirements for accessing care at designated facilities, poor confidence in neighbourhood facilities and long-term established relationships with facilities elsewhere. Further, many parents did not patronise religious interventions for the children. However, some parents explained that in addition to seeking medical care to address the physical symptoms of the children's disabilities and/or illnesses, they sought religious interventions because they believed that there could be a spiritual dimension to the situation.

Conclusion: The findings highlight key areas to address in health promotion for children with IDD and their families in Accra, Ghana.

Keywords: global child health; health beliefs and behaviours; health promotion; intellectual and developmental disabilities; religion and health; sub-Saharan Africa.