Beliefs on the causes of birth defects as perceived by mothers of children with birth defects in a tertiary care hospital in the Philippines

Beliefs on the causes of birth defects as perceived by mothers of children with birth defects in a tertiary care hospital in the Philippines

There are several ethnolinguistic groups or ethnicities in the Philippines, and genetic counselors may encounter clients with diverse beliefs, inscribed by their culture, about health conditions. Thus, clients may attribute the cause of a birth defect to a socio-culturally based health belief. The p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of community genetics Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 183 - 191
Main Authors: Felipe-Dimog, Eva Belingon, Tumulak, Ma-Am Joy Realce, Laurino, Mercy Ygona, Daack-Hirsch, Sandra, Silao, Catherine Lynn Tipton, Conaco, Ma. Cecilia Gastardo, Padilla, Carmencita David, Estacio, Leonardo Rabena
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-04-2022
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Anus
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Birth defects
Children
Cleft lip/palate
Congenital defects
Epidemiology
Gene Function
Gene Therapy
Genetic counseling
Human Genetics
Hydrocephalus
Microcephaly
Original
Original Article
Pregnancy
Public Health
Uterus
Philippines
Perceptions
Birth defects
Genetic counseling
Beliefs
Philippines
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Summary:There are several ethnolinguistic groups or ethnicities in the Philippines, and genetic counselors may encounter clients with diverse beliefs, inscribed by their culture, about health conditions. Thus, clients may attribute the cause of a birth defect to a socio-culturally based health belief. The present study aimed to explore the beliefs on the causes of birth defects held by mothers of children diagnosed to have birth defects. The study was conducted as a qualitative descriptive pilot study in Baguio General Hospital and Medical Health Center (BGHMC), a birth defect surveillance site tertiary care hospital in the Philippines. Participants were mothers of children diagnosed to have birth defects at the BGHMC. In-depth interviews were used to collect data from 18 participants aged 18–46 years. Birth defect conditions of the participants’ children included congenital heart defect, cleft lip and palate, hydrocephalus, imperforate anus, hypospadias, and microcephaly. When the participants were asked about their views on the causes of birth defects in their children, they perceived that genetics or heredity, stress, a fall during pregnancy, maternal sickness, teenage pregnancy, thin uterine lining, twin-twin transfusion syndrome, and God’s will have caused it. Findings also showed that mothers of children with the birth defect have both biomedically and socio-culturally based health beliefs. Awareness of these health belief systems will help the genetic counselor provide appropriate genetics education and psychosocial support to their clients.
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ISSN:1868-310X
1868-6001
DOI:10.1007/s12687-021-00543-2