Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Apr 23:14:393.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-393.

Traditional healers and the potential for collaboration with the national tuberculosis programme in Vanuatu: results from a mixed methods study

Kerri Viney  1 , Penelope Johnson, Markleen Tagaro, Saen Fanai, Nguyen N Linh, Paul Kelly, David Harley, Adrian Sleigh
Affiliations

Traditional healers and the potential for collaboration with the national tuberculosis programme in Vanuatu: results from a mixed methods study

Kerri Viney et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: This study was conducted in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. Our objective was to assess knowledge, attitudes and practice of traditional healers who treat lung diseases and tuberculosis (TB), including their willingness to collaborate with the national TB programme.

Methods: This was a descriptive study using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Quantitative analysis was based on the responses provided to closed-ended questions, and we used descriptive analysis (frequencies) to describe the knowledge, attitudes and practice of the traditional healers towards TB. Qualitative analysis was based on open-ended questions permitting fuller explanations. We used thematic analysis and developed a posteriori inductive categories to draw original and unbiased conclusions.

Results: Nineteen traditional healers were interviewed; 18 were male. Fifteen of the healers reported treating short wind (a local term to describe lung, chest or breathing illnesses) which they attributed to food, alcohol, smoking or pollution from contact with menstrual blood, and a range of other physical and spiritual causes. Ten said that they would treat TB with leaf medicine. Four traditional healers said that they would not treat TB. Twelve of the healers had referred someone to a hospital for a strong wet-cough and just over half of the healers (9) reported a previous collaboration with the Government health care system. Eighteen of the traditional healers would be willing to collaborate with the national TB programme, with or without compensation.

Conclusions: Traditional healers in Vanuatu treat lung diseases including TB. Many have previously collaborated with the Government funded health care system, and almost all of them indicated a willingness to collaborate with the national TB programme. The engagement of traditional healers in TB management should be considered, using an evidence based and culturally sensitive approach.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map of Vanuatu, showing the four study sites (circled in green). Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Community.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Viney K, O’Connor J, Wiegandt A. The epidemiology of tuberculosis in the Pacific Island countries and territories: 2000-2007. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2011;23(1):86–99. doi: 10.1177/1010539510390671. - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. Global tuberculosis report 2012. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2012. pp. 1–272.
    1. Banerjee A, Sharma B, Ray A, Kannuri N, Venkateswarlu T. Acceptability of traditional healers as directly observed treatment providers in tuberculosis control in a tribal area of Andhra Pradesh, India. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2004;8(10):1260–1265. - PubMed
    1. Harries A, Banerjee A, Gausi F, Nyirenda T, Boeree M, Kwanjana J, Salaniponi F. Traditional healers and their practices in Malawi. Trop Doct. 2002;32:32–33. - PubMed
    1. Harper M, Hill P, Bah A, Manneh K, McAdam K, Lienhardt C. Traditional healers participate in tuberculosis control in The Gambia. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2004;8(10):1266–1268. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources