ISSN 2756-3820
International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN 2756-3820 Vol. 13 (3), pp. 001-012, March, 2024. https://internationalscholarsjournals.org/© International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Narrative analysis on adversities in seeking oral healthcare among female caregivers of children with HIV/AIDS in a low-income setting: Voices of the women
Masiga Mary Atieno1, Wandibba Simiyu2
1Department of Dental Sciences, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
2Institute of Anthropology, Gender & African Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Received 21 October, 2023; Accepted 18 December, 2023 and Published 21 April, 2024
Abstract
It is often reported that women from low-income settings face numerous adversities in seeking healthcare, yet, their voices are often unheard. The objective of this paper is to appraise the adversities that female caregivers of children with HIV/AIDS experience in utilizing oral healthcare within the healthcare system in Nairobi City County (NCC), Kenya. The study methodology was mixed methods. Firstly, quantitative data was collected on the socio-demographic variables of 221 female caregivers attending the HIV-care facilities at three major hospitals in NCC; namely Gertrude Children’s Hospital (GCH), Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), and Mbagathi County Referral Hospital (MCRH). This was followed by qualitative data collection on first-hand accounts of the caregivers’ experiences in utilizing oral healthcare for themselves and their children. The paper is founded on qualitative data as depicted in Case Narratives (CN) among the women. The findings of the narratives portrayed significant constraints and adversities suffered by the women, prevailed upon by financial constraints, limited oral health literacy, and health information and an ineffectually responsive healthcare system, lacking in purposeful and psychosocial support for the women. We concluded that contextual individual factors and innate characteristics of the healthcare system confer adversities in the utilization of oral healthcare services and caregivers’ utilization of oral healthcare in NCC.
Keywords: Adversities, oral healthcare utilization, female caregivers, children with HV/AIDS.