Gender perspectives in ear care: A cross-sectional study in Delhi

Abstract

Background: Ear disease in children is a major public health problem in developing countries. There has been scarcity of evidence of any gender differentials if exist with ear care in the Indian context. Objective: To study the gender perspectives in ear care with regard to attitude and care seeking behaviour of care givers of children 1-10 years of age in Delhi. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in an urban health centre situated in north east district of Delhi from January to March 2015. 160 caregivers of ill children aged 1-10 years who came to seek medical care in out-patient department (OPD) constituted the study population. Chi square test or Fisher’s Exact test (wherever required) was used to observe the differences between qualitative variables.Results:The study was conducted among 160 caregivers of 87 (54.4%) male children and 73 (45.6%) female children. Mean (+SD) monthly family income was INR 7637.5 + 1155.30. When inquired about the attitude of caregivers about playing of their child with another child who is suffering from hearing loss, 18 (20.7%) caregivers of male children perceived that their child will also suffer from hearing loss while 30 (41.1%) caregivers of female children, agreed for the same (χ2 = 7.87, df = 1, p value = 0.01). Conclusion: The present study showed gender differences in some aspects of ear care which points towards stigma and discrimination. There were important implications of differences in health seeking with gender.