The perceived efficacy of western and traditional health care in an urban population in the Northern province, South Africa

Peltzer, Karel2018-10-122018-10-122000Peltzer, K. (2000). The perceived efficacy of western and traditional health care in an urban population in the Northern province, South Africa. Acta Academica, 32(2), 87-103.0587-2405 (print)0587-2405 (print)http://hdl.handle.net/11660/9367English: The aim of the srudy was to examine the perceived efficacy of five different types of therapies (traditional herbalists, diviners, and prophets, western medicine and psychology) in treating 25 common complaints ranging from AIDS to diarrhoea. Participants were interviewed face-to-face with a questionnaire measuring their state of health, their experience of traditional therapies, their sources of information about traditional therapies, and their perception of the efficacy of traditional and western therapies in the treatment of each condition. The majority of the participants clearly saw medical therapy as more effective in the treatment of most (18) complaints. Traditional therapy (practised by herbalists and diviners) was perceived as being more effective for traditional illness and equally effective for infertility, venereal disease, mental illness, and epilepsy, as well as equally ineffective for AIDS. Overall, western therapies were seen as significantly more effective than traditional therapies.Afrikaans: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die persepsie van doeltreffendheid van vyf verskillende tipes terapieë (kruiedokter, waarsêer, profeet: tradisionele en mediese personeel, sielkundige westers) te ondersoek in die behandeling van 25 algemene klagtes wat wissel van Vigs tot diarree. Onderhoude met deelnemers is persoonlik gevoer aan die hand van 'n vraelys oor hul gesondheidstoestand, met ondervinding van tradisionele terapiee, bronne van inligting oor tradisionele terapiee, en waargenome doeltreffendheid van tradisionele en westerse terapiee in die behandeling van elke siektetoestand. Mediese terapie is duidelik: deur die meerderheid deelnemers gesien as meer effektief in die behandeling van die meeste (18) kwale. Tradisionele terapie (kruiedokter en waarsêer) is gesien as meer effektief vir tradisionele siektes sowel as vir onvrugbaarheid, geslagsiektes, geestesiektes en epilepsie, maar nie so oneffektief vir Vigs as westerse terapie. In die geheel is westerse terapiee gesien as aansienlik. doeltreffender as tradisionele terapiee.enEfficacyTraditional herbalistsTherapiesTraditional therapyWestern therapyThe perceived efficacy of western and traditional health care in an urban population in the Northern province, South AfricaArticleUniversity of the Free State