ASSESSMENT OF UTILIZATION OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE AND ITS INFLUENCES AMONG PARENTS OF CHILDREN, IN AMBO OROMIA, ETHIOPIA

Dr. Takele Achalu Dengela*

Objective: In Ethiopia, traditional medicine is used by up to 80% of the population. The frequency with which parents give their children conventional medicine and related factors, however, were not sufficiently investigated. In order to assess traditional medicine use by parents for their children and its factors among parents of children, this study was conducted in Ambo Town, Oromia, Ethiopia, in 2023. Methodology: On a cross-section of the neighborhood, the study was done. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to present the data. The link between the dependent and independent variables was then investigated using multiple logistic regression, binary, and odds ratio analyses. Results: In total, 281 households were surveyed. 226 parents in total, or 79.5%, had used TM for their children. In comparison to modern treatment, only 8 (3%) parents chose conventional medicine. The three most prevalent therapies were herbal medicine, massage, and religious therapy, accounting for 34.4%, 25.89%, and 11.9%, respectively. This study found a connection between a middle-class monthly income and parents' use of conventional medicine for their kids. Religion [AOR= 3.17 (1.26, 7.93), culture [AOR= 3.01 (1.16, 7.83), and brief illness duration [AOR=3.11 (1.07, 9.02)] are all (500-850) [AOR: 0.25 (0.08, 0.78]. Conclusion: Parents typically give their children traditional medication despite having a low preference for it. When integrating traditional medicine into modern medicine, proper consideration must be given to the effectiveness of stated interventions by relevant parties. More research should be done in various areas, taking into account both parental and child traits, to better understand how children use traditional medicine.