Predictors of Intention to Seek Medical Help by Peruvian Mothers for Children Who Have Signs of Pneumonia

Abstract

The Theory of Planned Behavior was used to assess predictors of Peruvian mothers seeking medical help when they believed their child had signs of pneumonia. Open-ended interviews to identify beliefs were followed by a questionnaire administered to 500 mothers from low-income settlements in Lima in June and July 2000. Subjective norm (what important referents want) was the best predictor of intention, followed by mothers' feelings about how easy it would be to take the child to the clinic. Attitude toward taking the child to a clinic was not a significant predictor of intention. This study indicates a stronger role for subjective norm than attitudes and perceived control in similar studies done with this model in other settings. It, of course, only predicts intention to act and not behavior, important here given social-economic barriers, e.g., cost, to access to care among this study group.