Traditional Practices Affecting Maternal Care in Rural Areas of Qazvin: A Qualitative Study

Tradition is a part of people’s culture that can influence the health care. It is, therefore, necessary to identify the habits that change the health behavior of people. In this study, we aimed to spot the traditions affecting maternity cares in the rural areas of Qazvin province, Iran. A qualitative approach (ethnographic research) was applied. Data were collected through observation, group interviews and note-taking within seven villages with about 2500 households. The data were coded and classified and presented. The caring traditions were classified into such groups as during labor, bearing and postpartum, nutrition of the mother, caring of umbilical cord, curative care of icteric newborn, the mother’s and newborn’s nursing and garments, and caring of breast aches and inflammations. Some of traditional behaviors are useful such as washing the newborn and mental support of the motherhood. And some are harmful such as laying the laboring women on the cow dung etc, where some of the other ethnic habits may have unknown effects whether good or bad. Subcultures can influence the health care behavior of the people and they should be identified and analyzed for the “change” of the health related behaviors.