Understanding Rural Perspectives and Practices of Health in Banggai Laut, Indonesia

Abstract

Health is always an important value for human beings and the most fundamental condition of life. Health is perceived differently influenced by many factors including education, experience, knowledge, culture, and environment. The study aimed to explore community perception of health, including causes of diseases, and choices of help for health problems in rural setting in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The study is a qualitative ethnography with several data collection methods including semi structured in-depth interviews, small group discussion, informal conversations, photography, and direct observation. Study location was in Bangkurung sub-district. The study found that health is perceived as a power, energy, normal physiology of human body, and ability to work normally. Participants understood and believed that health is influenced by many factors including environment, food, lifestyle, social interaction and the rise of megycism, traditionally prohibited behaviors, religious belief, mind, and workload. Community members commonly used both medical treatment and traditional healing methods.

Perspectives on health, illness, disease and management approaches among Baganda traditional spiritual healers in Central Uganda

“…Another important aspect is the concept of health assessment that involve divination and ritual cleansing to establish the health status (68), the prospected root cause, the appropriate management approaches and prevention (3,40,69). For example, traditional healers in North Eastern Ethiopia use divination to establish the etiology of illness (70), while other healers use divination to distinguish between illness of supernatural origin and illness described as of normal or natural (71).…”