Ibrahim, Hind Mutar and Al-Hadeethi, Emad M. Thaker (2026) KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF MOTHERS ABOUT GIVING OF HOME REMEDIES FOR HER CHILDREN. Manuscripts on the Evolution of Medicine and Natural Sciences, 3 (4). ISSN 3064-8785

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Abstract

Home remedies are commonly used to treat common childhood illness. There are a variety of treatments that are based on traditional knowledge and personal experience, but they may not be effective or safe. The knowledge and practices of mothers in the use of home remedies is therefore important since mothers are the ones who make the initial decision on health care for their child. The aim of the study: To evaluate mothers' knowledge and practices in home remedies for their children in Iraq. A cross sectional study was performed in Tikrit Teaching Hospital from December 2024 to December 2025. A convenience sample of 435 mothers participated in the study. A structured questionnaire was prepared in Arabic and fine-tuned after conducting a pilot assessment to make the questions clearer. The questionnaire had items related to demographic characteristics, home remedies, sources of information, perceived benefits, type of remedy, health condition treated, reasons for using home remedies, whether they were used in conjunction with medical management, adverse effects of home remedies and health seeking behavior. 345 (79.31%) mothers from the 435 who took part in the study indicated that they were using home remedies for their children. The main sources of information were, personal experience (59.71%) and the internet (37.68%). Cold compresses (47.71%) and herbs like anise, chamomile, and mint (18.89%) were the most commonly used home remedies. Fever (56.32%) was the most prevalent home treatable condition followed by diarrhea (23.07%) and respiratory tract infections (20.00%). The most commonly cited benefits of using home remedies were that they were thought to be less harmful than medical treatment (45.20%). No side effects occurred in the majority of users (91.30%), and most of them went to hospital when the child got worse (84.00%). Home remedies use was very high among mothers in Iraq. Knowledge of personal experiences and safety concerns seemed to be significant factors in their use of home remedies. The results indicate the necessity of child health education about appropriate and safe home remedies use and the importance of timely medical consultation in the developments of the child's illness.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Home remedies, Mothers, Children, Traditional medicine, Maternal knowledge
Subjects:	H Social Sciences
Depositing User:	admin eprints
Date Deposited:	04 Nov 2026 08:41
Last Modified:	04 Nov 2026 08:41
URI:	http://eprints.umsida.ac.id/id/eprint/17443

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