الملخص الإنجليزي
Abstract :
The traditional health beliefs and practices of the postpartum Bahraini women were examined. A stratified proportionate random sampling procedure was used to select the 105 women who met the preset sampling criteria for inclusion in the study. Face-to-face interviews were done using a structured questionnaire. Eight out of the ten Bahrain hospitals with postnatal services were used as study sites. Data were coded and entered in the computer and a software package (Statistical Analysis System [SAS]) was used to perform the statistical analysis.
The findings revealed that most of the traditional postpartum health practices related to the care of both the mother and the infant, were common, among the Bahraini women of childbearing age. Family members, especially mothers and mothers-in-law, were the main source of advice for the Bahraini women in this study. (Very few reported the use of the health care providers as sources of advice.)
Recommendations consider the importance of including the influential members of the family in the health teachings, especially in the areas related to the care of the pregnant women, postpartum mothers, and infants, and conducting further research to determine the therapeutic effects of the various herbal medicines used during the postpartum period.
