Caregivers’ motivations for using pediatric Tuina for recurrent respiratory tract infections in young children in Southern China: a qualitative study

Caregivers have specific concerns and preferences when seeking healthcare for their young children affected by recurrent respiratory tract infections. In China, medical pluralism is widespread. Caregivers of sick children often seek treatment from both biomedicine and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. One traditional medicine practice is pediatric Tuina, a soft massage technique administered by trained providers, which has been used to prevent new respiratory infections. However, there is limited understanding of caregivers’ perspectives on pediatric Tuina. In this study, we aim to understand why caregivers in Southern China turn to pediatric Tuina for their children’s recurrent respiratory tract infections. A qualitative interview design was used in this study. Participants were recruited using a convenience sampling technique. Sixteen mothers from Southern China, whose children had undergone pediatric Tuina in a clinical trial for recurrent respiratory tract infections, participated in online semi-structured interviews. Informed consent was obtained by first explaining the study’s purpose to caregivers over the phone, followed by the exchange of signed printed forms via express delivery. The analysis was conducted using reflexive thematic analysis with NVivo qualitative research software. Good’s model was used as a sensitizing concept. This exploratory study presents context-specific insights into caregivers’ healthcare-seeking behaviors. The overarching theme was adopting a proactive and child-centered approach in choosing the appropriate type of care for sick children, encompassing four subthemes: home-based management of early symptoms, preference for individualized care, orientation toward sustained therapeutic outcomes, and concerns regarding long-term medication exposure. The findings capture the motivations of caregivers who were predisposed to using or accepting Tuina, with limited representation of non-users. Caregivers choose pediatric Tuina for managing recurrent respiratory tract infections primarily due to their preference for holistic, child-centered, and less invasive care. Recognizing these caregiving values is important for informing clinician-caregiver communication and for the development of integrative approaches in pediatric healthcare.