Loughborough University
Browse
Friend-du_Preez.pdf (423.92 kB)

Stuips, spuits and prophet ropes: the treatment of abantu childhood illnesses in urban South Africa

Download (423.92 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2010-06-30, 13:59 authored by Natalie Friend-du Preez, Noel Cameron, Paula GriffithsPaula Griffiths
With a paucity of data on health-seeking behaviour for childhood illnesses in urban South Africa, a mixed method approach was used to investigate the treatment of abantu childhood illnesses in Johannesburg and Soweto between March and June 2004. In-depth interviews were held with caregivers (n = 5), providers of traditional (n = 6) and Western (n=6) health care, as well as 5 focus groups with caregivers. A utilisation-based survey was conducted with 206 black African caregivers of children under 6 years of age from 1 public clinic in Soweto (n = 50), 2 private clinics in Johannesburg (50 caregivers in total), 2 public hospitals from Johannesburg and Soweto (53 caregivers in total) and 2 traditional healers from Johannesburg and Orange Farm (53 caregivers in total), an informal settlement on the outskirts of Johannesburg. The symptoms of several childhood abantu health problems, their treatment with traditional, church and home remedies, and influences on such patterns of resort are described. Despite free primary health care for children under 6 years, the pluralistic nature of health-seeking in this urban environment highlights the need for community and household integrated management of childhood illnesses and a deeper understanding of how symptoms may be interpreted and treated in the context of the local belief system.

History

School

  • Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences

Research Unit

  • Socio-economic status and child/adolescent health in Johannesburg-Soweto Study

Citation

FRIEND-DU PREEZ, N., CAMERON, N. and GRIFFITHS, P.L., 2009. Stuips, spuits and prophet ropes: the treatment of abantu childhood illnesses in urban South Africa. Social Science and Medicine, 68 (2), pp. 343-351.

Publisher

© Elsevier Ltd

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Publication date

2009

Notes

This article was accepted for publication in the journal, Social Science & Medicine [© 2008 Elsevier Ltd.] and the definitive version is available at: www.elsevier.com/locate/socscimed

ISSN

0277-9536

Language

  • en