Healthcare-seeking behavior among the Chakma ethnic group in Bangladesh: can accessibility and cultural beliefs shape healthcare utilization? (original) (raw)
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Better health depends on the level of access to the health care facilities. Since good health is part and parcel for better human resources, there should be proper access to the health care system. The indigenous peoples of any country are usually deprived of their due share. They remain at a vulnerable stage and this is equally true for indigenous peoples of Chittagong Hill Tracts. They have less access to all types of services due to different circumstances. But it is the right of any citizen of the country to have equal access to all facilities and opportunities provided by the state. In order to explore the accessibility of different indigenous peoples to the health care facilities, the study is conducted on the basis of secondary data which were collected from different sources, reports, journals, and published literature. Though the study explored some Government and NGOs initiatives on health, the access of indigenous peoples to this facility is not at the satisfactory level.
This study investigates the health and health-seeking behaviour of the indigenous population of Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh by surveying 2,550 randomly selected households from five major ethnic groups residing in the region. A structured questionnaire was used for collecting data. Morbidity prevalence (23%) and child malnutrition (19%) was highest among Bangalis. Fever (40 %), diarrhoeal diseases (37%) and malaria (16%) were the three most common illnesses reported among the study population. Around fifteen percent of the Bangalis sought care from the paraprofessionals while 'unqualified' allopaths were consulted more frequently by the Tripuras, Chakmas and the Marmas (60-70%). Qualified allopaths were mostly consulted by the Bangalis (26%). Sex, types of illness, ethnicity, household head's education and household's landholding were significant predictors of seeking treatment, and allopathic treatment in particular. The findings on the differential health and healthseeking behaviour among ethnic groups should help in the designing of any future health interventions in the area. Asia Pac J Public Health 2001; 13(2): 100-108
Arab Economic and Business Journal, 2023
The paper aims to investigate the health seeking behavior of rural ethnic women in Bangladesh through the lens of intersectionality. The paper sheds light on the healthcare seeking behavior of rural ethnic women by exploring the barriers of their healthcare accessibility, role of community organizations and traditional healers in shaping health seeking behavior, analyzing the impact of education, health literacy and healthcare awareness, and evaluating the role of family and community level power imbalance over the health seeking behavior of rural ethnic women. The study is based on both primary and secondary data. The findings of the paper highlight that various social and cultural factors, including gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, intersected to influence health seeking behavior among rural ethnic women in Bangladesh. Access to healthcare was found to be limited due to a lack of resources, transportation, and information. The paper argues that Community organizations and traditional healers played a minimal yet important role in shaping health seeking behavior, while the existing power imbalance in the family and community level has been found to be associated with health seeking behavior. The paper concludes the importance of addressing the multiple and intersecting factors that shape health seeking behavior among rural ethnic women in Bangladesh.
Culture, Illness and Health Seeking in Rural Setting: A Case in a Village of Comilla, Bangladesh
Journal of anthropological and archaeological sciences, 2019
This paper has been explored on the locale's interpretation of illness and remedies in the context of rural setting in Bangladesh. Taking ethnomedical approach as key theoretical lens of medical anthropology within the discipline of cultural anthropology, this study has tried to explore how the local people perceived illness through their experiential and traditional knowledge system and how they managed remedies or health seeking by employing symbolic (knowledge, beliefs etc), structural (family, kinship, social network, social institutional support etc), and material aspects of culture including economic resources. For gathering firsthand data through field experiences, this study has been conducted among the villagers of a village of Comilla District in Bangladesh. However, the data were collected by employing the qualitative tools and techniques of data collection including Key Informant Interview, Focused Group Discussion, Informal Interview and observation. The respondents were selected on the basis of purpossive sampling method. Finally, the data were analyzed in qualitative nature including narrative analysis, content analysis etc.
Scenario of healthcare seeking behaviour: A case of Jamuna River Char dwellers
Journal, 2014
Right to health services is one of the universally recognized basic human rights. Constitution of Bangladesh states that it is a fundamental responsibility of the state to facilitate the basic provisions of life including medical care. However, the consistently inequitable nature of health systems limits the access of quality healthcare to the disadvantaged population who need them the most. Accessibility of healthcare depends on socioeconomic status and condition of the recipient, distance and travel facilities, communication with providers, governance and navigating the health system to meeting pre-set target groups or requirements. In this community-based exploratory study, data were collected using qualitative methods following the "four As" model. Objective of the study was to explore healthcare seeking behaviour of disadvantaged Jamuna river "Char" dwellers from a socioeconomic and gender perspective including the effects of poverty. Findings of the study showed that services utilization was a complex behavioural phenomenon, which was not only dependent on the availability, quality or costs of service charge but cultural beliefs, perception and practice also influenced the healthcare seeking behaviour of the people. It was noticeable here that many factors were at work causing gender and season based variation of diseases. This study viewed that a system of healthcare seeking behaviour has two interrelated aspects: cultural and social and organisational aspect. Therefore, the study suggests that while health promotion emphasises on individual behaviour, the lens needs to be broadened to other determinants of health, including policy directives to enhance population health, reduce inequality and improve social justice.
International Journal of Medical and Health Sciences Research
Most of the slum dwellers in Rajshahi city, Bangladesh, come here from rural areas either forcefully or willingly for various purposes. They naturally lead a miserable life here which causes various health problems. Different organizations therefore come forward to the establishment of primary healthcare centers for meeting their growing demands for healthcare services. The main objective of this paper was thus to explore how social issues created opportunities for and barriers to healthcare seeking behavior among the urban poor women. This study is of importance that findings of the study will help achieve the 3rd Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages-at the right time (2030). Two hundred females in Rajshahi city were interviewed by using a semi-structured questionnaire interview method. Levels of monthly household income and of education are used as proxy determinants of class. There has been an increase in the availability of and accessibility to primary healthcare services for the poor urban women due to making healthcare services available at people doorsteps and developing awareness though some social issues like the lack of knowledge about the nearest centers, their beliefs in and perception of illness and treatment, inappropriate time setup and high costs associated with treatment and medicine sometimes dissuade them from availing the reachable healthcare services. More hygienic behavior among them found albeit they have few sanitary latrines which push their lives at greater risks. As suggested, if all these social issues are seriously taken into consideration in the formation and adaptation of the future policy, the Bangladesh Government can easily meet the 3rd SDG. Contribution/ Originality: This study is one of very few studies which have investigated effects of social issues in healthcare seeking behavior. The primary contribution of it is identifying the timetable of the health center unsuitable for the poor. It documents an increase in the availability of and accessibility to primary healthcare services.
2012
Introduction: Traditional medicine plays a vital part in the health care systems of many developing countries. Healers’ knowledge and background, commonly treated illnesses, methods, and the factors leading to communities’ utilization of traditional services are important areas of research to understand how the informal health sector contributes to the health outcomes in these countries. Methods: A short exploratory, qualitative study in two villages of Savar, Bangladesh focused on traditional healers and community members. We completed six in-depth interviews, one focus group discussion, four informal discussions and three PRA techniques to investigate the issue. Data were translated, transcribed, coded and analyzed to develop themes that emerged from the specific research questions. Results: The study found that there were common illness experiences among our participants, including fever, headache, body pain, jaundice, diarrhea and illness caused by evil spirits, as well as commo...
Health care sector in Bangladesh is very essential sector. Health is wealth without health care development the quality of our life style is impossible. Our national economic and social development depends on health care sector. There are large amount of people living at the rural area. But they have little access to health care services. Health care service in Bangladesh is problematic and complex into different dimensions. Most of the people are increasingly impatient with the inability of health services to deliver national coverage that meet stated demands and changing needs, failure to provide services that correspond to their expectations. Some people disagree with health care system need to respond better faster to the challenges of new changing. This research deals with the expectations and reality of primary health care in Bangladesh and focuses on different Government and NGOs health care situation in rural areas.