Abstract
BACKGROUND: Various traditional medical procedures are widely practiced in Somalia. The most important reasons for this are difficulties in accessing modern health facilities, the low cost of traditional medicine and local beliefs in the beneficial effects of healers and local pharmacies. Guboow is a painful traditional treatment involving the application to the body of fire-heated wooden or similar objects. Although Guboow is known to be practiced in Somali society, community attitudes towards the practice and levels of dependence are unclear. In this study, we aimed to assess Guboow use and its determinants among parents of children being treated in a tertiary hospital in Somalia. METHODS: This study involved a cross-sectional survey of 290 parents of children receiving health care in a hospital in Somalia. Factors associated with use of Guboow were identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Guboow had been performed on 34.5% of the children in the study, and 39.8% of the parents had previously undergone the procedure. The use of Guboow increased as the educational levels of the mother and father decreased ([OR: 14.477(3.247-64.541)], [OR: 7.040(3.358-14.759)], respectively). Guboow was also more common among individuals with lower incomes ([OR: 6.480 (2.101-19.984)]). CONCLUSION: The rate of Guboow use among children was considerable and strongly associated with lower socioeconomic status. These findings underscore the need for public health strategies that address the structural barriers to modern healthcare while also implementing community education programs to raise awareness of the risks associated with this traditional practice.