Health seeking behaviour in a rural setting: The case of Ukwala division in Siaya District

Abstract

Of late there has been a growing interest in understanding the social aspect of medicine. Research is being conducted-in this area in an attempt to understand how social and cultural factors . affect the health of people. This study is an attempt to identify possible socio-cultural factors related to the health seeking behaviour among the people of Ukwala in Siaya District. Analysis of the findings indicate that a number of factors influence the choice of therapeutic options. These factors include the perceived etiology of the disease in question which is hereby classified into two broad categories, namely, the natural and supernatural realms. Diseases which fall under the natural realm are mostly seen to be treated by modern medicine while those under the supernatural realm are seen to be delegated to the area of traditional and faith healing. Together with these are the herbal remedies and non-prescribed patent medicine which are self administered. The domains of these forms of therapy often overlap, especially when the first mode, based on an etiological concept, fails to provide satisfactory results. This occurs mainly where chronic diseases are concerned. A model hierarchy of decision-making in healthcare is seen to be non-existent. What pertains are individual or lay groups and situational decision-making hierarchies which are ever changing. The decision making steps appear to supersede though they are actually linked to economic considerations. Other factors include the way ~he symptoms -of the disease in question are interpreted, level of education and general awareness. A major conclusion of the study is that traditional healing like faith healing is to some extent, based on faith. Both systems have become part of the Luo culture although unlike traditional healing, Christian faith healing is an adapt ion of traditional thought to the religious plane. A kind of ideological transformation has taken place such that Christians can still believe in mystical forces but in a different context from the secular ones. Whereas people traditionally talked of evil spirits in witchcraft therapies, Christians talk of revelation by Angels in a christian social therapy of spirit exorcism. In the final analysis, traditional and faith healing are both seen to be more effective in dealing with psychosomatic diseases because of their focus on the "whole person" rather than specific symptoms.