Home            Past Issues            About IP            About IAP           Author Information            Subscription            Advertisement              Search  

   
correspondence

Indian Pediatr 2014;51: 321

‘Charms’ in Childrearing


BP Nagesh and H Ramesh

Department of Pediatrics, JJM Medical College, Davanagere, Karnataka, India.
Email: [email protected]



Traditional or cultural practices are time honored rituals and beliefs which are prevalent in the community and they may pertain to a wide range of activities. A charm is defined as something worn about the person to ward off evil or ensure good fortune. Commonest purpose for use of a charm is for general wellbeing, and is found to be higher among people living in rural areas in joint family with poor socioeconomic status, or with advanced age of parents and poor literacy status of parents.

The traditional practices are so ingrained in the society that it is difficult to change them even when they are identified to be useless or harmful [1]. Though harmless, their presence can be a source of infection due to frequent contamination [2]. Moreover, they often result in delay in health-seeking with resultant deterioration of the child [3].

This study was done between October 2011 and September 2012 in the Department of Pediatrics, JJM Medical College, Davanagere. We studied 1000 children (500 cases with charms and 500 controls without charms) attending the hospital for the presence of Charms, and factors related to their usage; using a structured form, followed by interview with a single researcher (ANR). The case and control groups were comparable in terms of age, gender composition and religion. More than two-third cases (77.2%) and controls (71.2%) were younger than 5 years. There were no differences between cases and controls with respected to sex distribution (62.2% and 64.4% males) and religion (91% and 87.6% Hindus). 64% and 36% were from rural and urban areas. The various types of charms in the study were: Tayatha 41.2%, Ele (thread) and Anthra 26.1%, Drishtimani (string of beads) 10.6% and Cheeti 10.6% . Other types constituted around 12%. Similar observations have been reported by other studies [4,5]. Most of the charms used are harmless. Each charm is usually related to particular symptoms or a disease, but most are non-specific. It can be suggested that culture and health beliefs should be taken into account when training programs are prepared to change traditional child care practices and to promote health behavior. A pediatrician should understand the local tradition and charms, which can guide in the clinical practice. Nursing education curriculums should also train nurses to assess traditional practices, to reinforce positive cultural practices, and to discourage potentially harmful ones.

Almost all the charms in the study were harmless. The results of this study can help health professionals to recognize the role of traditions in child health.

Acknowledgements: Dr AN Ramya and Dr CR Banapurmath.

References

1. Singh M. Care of the Newborn: 7thed. New Delhi: Sagar Publications; 2010.

2. Taneja DK, Singhal PK, Dhawan S. Superstitions in pediatric illnessess among rural mothers. Indian Pediatr.1988;25:447-52.

3. Kushwaha KP, Mathur GP, Mathur S, Singh YD, Sati TR. Superstitious therapy during illnesses of pre-school children. Indian Pediatr.1986;23:163-8.

4. Shukla RS, Bhambal SS, Bhandari NR. Study of superstitions and practices in under five. Indian Pediatr. 1979;16:403-8.

5. Krishnamurthy, Rajgopal T. Folk lore and child rearing practices in South India. In: Current Topics in Pediatrics. New Delhi, Interprint, Mehta House, 1977. p. 507.

 

Copyright 1999-2014 Indian Pediatrics