Transcultural health care utilisation in Serengeti of Tanzania : towards applied ethnoscience in public health management

Doctoral Thesis

The research provides insight into disease behavior in both rural and semi-urban areas in Serengeti in Tanzania. It focuses on the motives and behaviors that patients exhibit when relying on local healthcare systems, classified as traditional, transitional or modern. It describes the availability, accessibility and patterns of use of these healthcare systems, in particular how they are embedded in the local cultural heritage. It shows that behavioral patterns are dominated by psycho-social and cultural factors. In addition, background characteristics, intervening factors and situation-dependent factors that influence usage patterns are described, analyzed and explained. The analytical model based on the school of "Ethnoscience" shows where the use of these medical systems is related to the historical, cultural and economic factors that determine the daily lives of the inhabitants. The analysis of the research data provides recommendations for education and training of local...Show more The research provides insight into disease behavior in both rural and semi-urban areas in Serengeti in Tanzania. It focuses on the motives and behaviors that patients exhibit when relying on local healthcare systems, classified as traditional, transitional or modern. It describes the availability, accessibility and patterns of use of these healthcare systems, in particular how they are embedded in the local cultural heritage. It shows that behavioral patterns are dominated by psycho-social and cultural factors. In addition, background characteristics, intervening factors and situation-dependent factors that influence usage patterns are described, analyzed and explained. The analytical model based on the school of "Ethnoscience" shows where the use of these medical systems is related to the historical, cultural and economic factors that determine the daily lives of the inhabitants. The analysis of the research data provides recommendations for education and training of local middle management staff in support of integrated transcultural public health policy, as initiated by the local government of Serengeti in collaboration with the local training institutions. The findings are used as input for the intended master course in Transcultural Public Health Management in the area, and elsewhere in similar circumstances. Special attention is paid to the local medical knowledge, beliefs and practices of the target population to improve public health. Show less

Ethnoscience

Public Health Management