Methods used to eliminate colic in infants in the eastern parts of Turkey

Infant colic is a common problem characterized by excessive crying and fussing. There is not a consistent treatment method used to eliminate colic. Mothers make use of various models together to eliminate colic in their infants. This study was carried out to delineate the methods used by mothers to eliminate colic in their infants and to determine the efficacy of the various methods.

Descriptive study.

The study was performed by visiting the homes of 186 babies (1-3 months of age) whose mothers had previously registered at a health center in Eastern Turkey between January 1 and February 28, 2005. Questionnaires and Wessel's criteria were used to obtain the data. The methods used by mothers to eliminate colic were classified as behavioral, natural, and drug treatments and were examined accordingly.

According to mothers' statements, 75.8% of the babies had colic, while according to the Wessel criteria, 51.1% had colic symptoms. One hundred percent of the mothers used behavioral treatments, 66% used drug therapies, and 64.5% used natural treatment methods to eliminate colic.

Mothers indicated that they achieved the most benefit from behavioral interventions, followed by natural therapies, and the least from drug treatments.