Pediatric folk beliefs of inner-city black Chicagoans

To estimate the familiarity of black inner-city Chicagoans with pediatric folk beliefs identified by key informants.

Five black staff members at an inner-city clinic identified 10 African American folk beliefs regarding pediatric care. A survey of 606 African American patients in Chicago assessed familiarity with these beliefs, and with medical recommendations regarding immunization and sleep position.

The 2 medical recommendations were more familiar and more believed than any of the identified folk beliefs. The most widely known folk belief was that it is dangerous for a woman to go outdoors 4 to 6 weeks after she has a baby, which was familiar to 93% of respondents. The most believed cultural item was that it is bad to stand where an infant has to roll his eyes back to see you, which was familiar to 86% of respondents and thought true by 86% of those familiar with it. Respondents born in a southern state were significantly more likely to have heard of taping a coin over an umbilicus that sticks out (odds ratio [OR], 1.51; 95% confidence interval [Cl], 1.01-2.26; p = .045) and less likely to agree with infant back or side position for sleep (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.14-0.85; p = .021).

The widespread familiarity with specific folk beliefs in this population suggests that an understanding of these beliefs may be important for culturally competent providers of pediatric care in Chicago's inner city. Further research is needed to determine whether these findings are reproducible in other socioeconomic and geographic settings.