Page 40 - IJPS-10-3

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Information sources and factors influencing the

use of herbal medicine among women during
pregnancy and childbirth in rural Lilongwe,

Malawi: A qualitative study

Dziwenji Makombe , Alexander Mboma *, Elias Mwakilama , and
2
1
3
Kondwani Joseph Banda 4,5
1 Department of Community Health Nursing, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Lilongwe,
Malawi
2 Department of Midwifery, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Lilongwe, Malawi
3 School of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi
4 School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan Province of China
5 Department of Surgery, Endoscopy Unit, Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi

*Corresponding author:
Alexander Mboma Abstract
(mbomaalexander1@gmail.com)
#The use of the term “Taiwan Existing literature shows increased use of herbal medicine during pregnancy,
Province of China” is consistent with childbirth, and when tackling associated problems among Malawian women. Beyond
the international practices, such
as The United Nations Statistics Malawi, herbal medicine use is also common among women during pregnancy and
Division and The International childbirth in other parts of the world. However, little is known about the precise
Organization for Standardization. information sources and factors that affect women’s use of herbal medicine in Malawi,
Citation: Makombe, D., Mboma, A., especially in rural areas where it is commonly practiced. This study aimed at exploring
Mwakilama, E., & Banda, K.J. information sources and understanding factors that influence herbal medicine
(2024). Information sources and use during pregnancy and childbirth among women living in the rural Lilongwe,
factors influencing the use of herbal
medicine among women during Malawi. This is a qualitative descriptive study on 28 female participants purposively
pregnancy and childbirth in rural identified from four villages (Kagona, Champsinja, Mthupi, and Manja) of Traditional
Lilongwe, Malawi: A qualitative Authority Malili in rural Lilongwe, Malawi. Data were collected from four focus group
study. International Journal of
Population Studies, 10(3): 34-45. discussions, with each group consisting of 6 – 8 women, and their discussions were
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0296 transcribed and analyzed using content analysis method. The findings indicated that
Received: February 27, 2023 previous obstetric experiences (negative and positive), quick relief from labor pain,
hastened delivery process, fear of abandonment by guardian during childbirth, and
Accepted: August 25, 2023
encouragement from peers (friends) are key factors influencing herbal medicine use
Published Online: November 28, in rural Lilongwe. We also found that peers (friends), parents, and traditional birth
2023 attendants are major sources of information regarding herbal medicine use in Malawi.
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). This study concludes that herbal medicine use during pregnancy and childbirth in
This is an Open-Access article rural Malawi is largely influenced by previous labor experiences and fears of being
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution abandoned during labor and childbirth, and that information on herbal medicine
License, permitting distribution, use is often sourced from peers, parents, and traditional birth attendants. Thus, this
and reproduction in any medium, study sheds light on how the community-led pathways can be exploited to influence
provided the original work is
properly cited. the decisions to use herbal medicine among women in the rural areas of Malawi.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with Keywords: Pregnant women; Herbal medicine; Information source; Pregnancy and
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional childbirth traditional birth attendants; Obstetrics
affiliations.

Volume 10 Issue 3 (2024) 34 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0296