The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. The beliefs about supernatural and natural causes found in this study are very similar to those described by Murdock (1980); however, social causes are not articulated in his model. The other criterion was the interest shown by the health extension workers to collaborate in the study. The people in this area are members of the Amhara ethnic group and are largely Muslims. Nigeria is now the second largest HIV disease burden in the world after South Africa which has 7.1 million (19% of global epidemic) burden of the disease, though prevalence is stable at 3.4% [38,39]. power point presentation, Epidemiology and preventive veterinary medicine.docx1, Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University, University of Amsterdam and University College London, Herbal Antimicrobials to Counter AMR.pptx. We will also share examples on how these common beliefs provide explanation as cause of illness and its implications in our genetic counseling profession. Waddel A, Petersen AR. This ethnographic study was grounded in participant observations made by the principal investigator (MHK) working as a volunteer heath extension worker in the study area for five months between June and November, 2013. EMJ. California Privacy Statement, Mystical causes are often attributed to experiences or behaviors such as ancestral retribution for unfinished tasks or obligations. The current Ethiopian indigenous health strategy (the National health strategies with regard to Indigenous Solution reported in March 2015) acknowledges the need to support components of indigenous medication including recommendations to explore potential beneficial aspects [31]. These conditions were often attributed to a curse and are referred to as Bezer Yemitelalef (genetically acquired disease). [Female, Study Community # 2]. Table 1 presents the Filipino words depicting the cultural beliefs and their corresponding English translation. Some believe that the soul goes out from the body and wanders, a phenomenon known as Bangungot, or that having nightmares after a heavy meal may result in death. Would you like email updates of new search results? Instant access to millions of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, podcasts and more. Webs of Causation: Epidemiological concept. There are 23 Kebeles (the smallest local administrative unit) administered by the Woreda, including 19 rural, 2 urban and 2 semi-urban towns. Participants ranged in age from approximately 35 to 79years, with a mean of 42years. Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Accordingly, people used to please the gods by prayers and offerings or used to resort to witchcraft to tame the devils. He died from Parkinson's disease in 2014, aged 85. . The focus groups included questions about the meaning of illnesses and health, as well as perceptions about the causes of illnesses and health (see Additional file 1 for the complete focus group guide). Ali A. A high level of its acceptance was responsible for the progress in fathoming the nature of diseases leading to a significant decline in the proliferation of diseases. When we drink it, we contract worms, they twirl in the stomach and give our kids tik, tik [Stomach- ache, salivate and followed by vomiting,] [Male, Study Community # 5]. Careers. Disease is an objectively measurable pathological condition of the body. %PDF-1.6
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All focus group discussions and interviews were conducted, audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim in Amharic. Mishra SI, Hess J, Luce PH. An example cited in most of the focus groups was that of disrespecting elders, Abegar or Sheikh and a link to how that causes illnesses: If people anger the Abegar or sheik, they get hurt by the ones they offended. statement and PubMedGoogle Scholar. We found that the absence of trust, troubles brought on by the actions and experiences of family members and violation of some social taboos were described as important determinants of ill-health within the study population. Ultimately, these diseasesdisproportionately affect people living in poor or marginalised communities. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science. The ascription of misfortunes to natural objects pervaded by spirits seems to have been prevalent where by sicknesses, epidemic or contagious diseases and even death were explained in terms of punishment by enraged spirits. The third theory is the sociobiology theory; the focus of biologist E.O. Qualitative content analysis was used. According to Murdock, supernatural causes include: theories of mystical causation (i.e., fate, ominous sensation, contagion, and mystical retribution); theories of animistic causation (i.e., soul loss, and spirit aggression); and theories of magical causation (i.e., sorcery and witchcraft) [10]. Focus Group Discussions and In-depth Interviews Guide. London: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.; 1968. Many of the participants in the study specifically related poverty and lack of appropriate food to ill health. Correlated with personalistic etiologies are the belief that all misfortune, disease included, is explained in the same way; illness, religion, and The practice of epidemiology. The use of open-ended questions, as well as informal conversations with informants on topics they themselves raised, were among the ways pursued to mitigate these challenges. A belief of disease causation where it is thought illness is caused by misbehavior or intervention of a supernatural being. Helman (1990) presentation of lay theories of illness causation identified four sites; individual patient, the natural Genetic counseling of the deaf. J Genet Couns. Because if he lies and then touches the Rekebot, he will have skin disease; his child or cattle will die [Male, Study Community # 2]. However, most of these indigenous beliefs have been absorbed by Islamic traditions which currently dominate the culture. Similar to Murdock, we have categorized these as natural causes of ill-health. He was also faced with the challenge of being perceived as a powerful individual due to his position as a member of the elite and a senior university lecturer. supernatural theory of disease ecological theory germ theory multifactorial causation theory no unanimous opinion at least 10% of the people in developed countries and 30% in developing countries still believe in supernatural origin even today superstitions are becoming major obstacles in disease control most of the literates view that disease . However, the capacity to execute and give expanded resources to support the sustainable utilization of indigenous medicine and implement health strategies that take into account indigenous ill-health beliefs is constrained. Bishaw M. Attitudes of modern and traditional medical practitioners toward cooperation. Negative correlation is when an increase in A leads to a decrease in B or vice versa. For the study communities, a culture of social trust was central to their identity, and they believed this was directly connected to the health of the body. Ann N Y Acad Sci. A valuable and interesting world survey of aboriginal theories of disease causation has been made by Clements.1 The types and distributions of ithe theories which he pre-sents embrace well the main methods of interpreting disease in simpler societies; yet the basic analysis of disease causation concepts which he employs needs a little further Google Scholar. By whitelisting SlideShare on your ad-blocker, you are supporting our community of content creators. In-depth understanding of disease causation aids in planningprevention and steps to tackle the disease in a population. Qualitative inquiry and research design. L. W. Feezer. Our main collaborators in the study communities were the health extension workers and this may have impacted local perceptions about the study including who agreed to participate and what they shared with the researchers. Medicine finally shed the rags of dogma and superstition and put on the robes of scientific knowledge. Part of Geneva: World Health Organization; 2001. WHO. However, others acknowledge that indigenous medicine should be embraced as an important part of health care systems in indigenous communities [35]. (DOCX 17 kb). Disease Causation; Theories; Models. Participatory observation, over a total of 5months during the span of one year, was supplemented by focus group discussions (n=96 participants in 10 groups) and in-depth interviews (n=20) conducted with key informants. Cultural Competence in the Care of Muslim Patients and Their Families. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Head of Epidemiology Division, Indian Veterinary Research Institute. A. PubMed He was able to use existing networks and contacts within the indigenous institutions, including traditional leaders and local health officials, thereby gaining access to a very wide cross-section of people. Poverty in general was identified as leading to poor health: If a person has a low income, then he would be weak. In: Nichter M, editor. Fracastoro's contagion theory of disease (1546)
Germ theory: Louis Pasteur , Lister and others introduced the germ theory in 1878. TWIO. In: Fox JP, Hall CE, Elveback LR, editors. Supernatural explanations also dominated the discourse of ill-health causation in our study. However, it is important to define illness and disease differently when considering some non-western cultural traditions. He approached this ethnographic work as an Amharic speaker and tradition bearer, a member of the Amhara elite, and also as a senior pharmacy professional. 1990;28:6372. During the time of the study, the Woreda had 2 health centers and 17 health posts. National Library of Medicine sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal Personalistic Causes A qualitative ethnographic method was conducted in Tehuledere Woreda, an administrative unit in the north-east of Ethiopia [14] (see Fig. The characteristics of people who share a common and distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic, or cultural heritage. This volunteer participatory observation helped him to access research participants and health extension workers working in health institutions. doi:10.1177/1049732310362400. Article The researchers pursued various strategies to assure the quality of the qualitative data. Theories of Disease January 20, 2022 by Sagar Aryal A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific signs and symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury is called a disease. 4. A photography exhibition to highlight the impact rare diseases can have on families has gone on display. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.; 1970. p. 31527. Ethiop J Health Dev. Erickson fills this gap by clearly explaining the basic organizing principles that underlie all medical systems, the full range of theories of disease causation, the geographical distribution of medical practices, and the historical trends that led to biomedical dominance. Approval of the study was obtained from the Ethical Review Committee of Addis Ababa University, College of Health Sciences (#037/13/PSP). The remaining 3% of the population live in the malaria free highlands. Mesfin H. Kahissay. Enjoy access to millions of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more from Scribd. The ascription of misfortunes to natural objects pervaded by spirits (e.g., qolle or quteb) was observed to be common in the study population. 0
We would also like to acknowledge the University of Toronto for giving the first author an opportunity to obtain advanced training in qualitative data organization and analysis during a visit to Toronto, Canada. It is often construed as a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited. Health was attributed by study participants to the will of God/Allah Who sends Melayka (the guardian angel) into peoples homes: Many thanks to Allah! It involves praising and glorifying the sky-god and seeking his spiritual assistance to ward off evil. So if he is able to work well and come back home without any stress, he becomes healthy [Male, Study Community # 1]. Several theories were advanced from time to time to explain disease causation such as the supernatural theory of disease, the theory of humors by Greeks and Indians, the theory of contagion, the miasmatic theory which attributed disease to noxious air and vapours, the theory of spontaneous generation, etc. The follow-up interviews provided an opportunity to delve more deeply into topics discussed in the focus groups. To conceptualize the beliefs about ill-health causation within the study communities, we began with the Murdocks ill-health theoretical model [10]. Learning from strangers: the art and method of qualitative interview studies. These discoveries and a host of others at the turn of the century marked a turning point in our aetiological concepts. Understanding the study communities perceptions of illness causation and ways of preventing diseases is very important in designing good health promotion and disease prevention strategies [28, 29]. Federal Ministry of Health. New York: The Free Press; 1994. Qallicha: A person known, among traditional Muslim Ethiopians, to have special spiritual power and knowledge; he is believed to be capable of forecasting the future as well as revealing hidden facts, causing illnesses and resolving individuals problems. Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions: high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease, and even death. This ethnographic exploration with the study communities in Tehuledere revealed that perceived causes of ill-health can be grouped into three main categories: supernatural, natural, and social elements. Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! Before Three views of disease causation may be identified from the literature. Or if A decreases, B correspondingly decreases. The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Activate your 30 day free trialto unlock unlimited reading. Unfortunately, the mainstream health education and primary health care system in the region focus almost exclusively on natural causes of ill health such as sanitation and infection. Finally the themes were incorporated into a conceptual model of the participants and their beliefs and perceptions in illness causation [18]. Familial ectrodactyly syndrome in a Nigerian child: a case report. Article Fracastoro proposed that contagious diseases are caused by transferable "seed-like entities," which we now call germs. 9 Natural history of disease epidemiological triad, Concept of Disease Control | SurgicoMed.com, 2. unit no iii dynamic of disease, Community Health Nursing, Concept of disease. 2016 Nov;46:121-126. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2016.09.001. GERM THEORY Germ theory: Microbes (germs) were found to be the cause for many known diseases. At home, we spread grass on the floor, we chew Khat in the name of Abduye, Kedir or Nura Hussien [the gods for Wednesday, Saturday and Tuesday respectively] to get the Melayka (angel) into our homes, to get the Wukabe[nature-spirit] close to us, to be heard by the gods. Cultural theories of crime provide distinct frameworks to understand the influence of human agency, social forces, and peers on behavior. For the followers of indigenous faith, ones wellbeing status is not subject to change without the nature-spirit association. The health extension workers may be best positioned to identify strategies for integration which may lead to improved health outcomes for the local community and provide guidance regarding how best to use the limited primary health care resources [30]. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, 144 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3M2, Canada, You can also search for this author in Bull World Health Organ. 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