Exploration of traditional management of children with severe acute malnutrition among Ari people, southern Ethiopia: A focused ethnographic study

Background: When children's symptoms of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) worsen, people frequently turn to traditional health practitioners for assistance rather than considering the condition to be serious. Globally, SAM poses a threat to millions of children under the age of five. The dearth of references on the management of SAM by traditional methods is suggestive of the need for a thorough inquiry in this study, as several studies have focused on nonspecific traditional health practices. Objective: To explore the traditional management of children with severe acute malnutrition among Ari people in southern Ethiopia in 2023. Methods and Materials : A focused ethnographic study was conducted in purposively selected districts and town administrations (Baka dawla Ari, South Ari, and Jinka Town administration), Ari Zone, southern Ethiopia, from April 2023 to August 2024. The data were collected through in-depth interviews, focused group discussions, and key informant interviews among mothers, traditional healers, youths, health professionals, local community leaders, religious leaders, and higher local government officials. The transcripts were imported into NVIVO version 12 pro software and were thematically evaluated via an inductive coding framework, followed by the development of categories and subcategories into themes. The rigor of the study in terms of credibility, transferability/applicability, dependability, conformability, and authenticityaspects was maintained. Results: Traditional severe acute malnutrition management was described in terms of five predominant themes,namely,community-related, environmentalsanitation, food insecurity, health system-related, and poor economic status. Themes of how caregivers manage acute malnutrition have been explained. Kella is another burden of malnutrition on child health.