Religion and Health: exploration of attitudes and health perceptions of faith healing users in urban Ghana

The Use of Religious Capital as a Coping Strategy in Self-care by Type 2 Diabetes Patients in a Ghanaian Hospital

Given the importance Ghanaians attribute to spirituality and religiosity in terms of disease causation and management, this study explored the use of religious capital as a coping strategy by individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus in self-care at the Techiman Holy Family Hospital Diabetes Clinic in the Bono East Region of Ghana. An exploratory descriptive qualitative research design was employed for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of twenty-seven (27) individuals recruited from the diabetes clinic. Content analysis was employed to find themes, which included: (1) Use of Prayer and Fasting for Courage from God, (2) Reliance on God as the Creator of Human Beings who Cures and Heals Diseases in the Body, (3) God as Source of life in times of Illness (Drawing life from God in times of illness), (4) Faith and Hope in God, and (5) Doctors and Nurses as Substitutes for God. The findings advocate the need to incorporate religiosity and spirituality into the provision of healthcare for individuals with diabetes to help them live productive lives.

Rural mothers' beliefs and practices about diagnosis, treatment, and management of children health problems: A qualitative study in marginalized Southern Pakistan

Introduction

Appropriate health-seeking beliefs and practices are indispensable for the survival and development of children. In this study, we explore childcare beliefs and practices of rural mothers and analyze the different ways childhood illness is diagnosed and managed in a marginalized rural community in Southern Pakistan.

Methods

Using purposive sampling, in-depth interviews are conducted to obtain qualitative data from 20 illiterate and rural mothers in addition to 15 healthcare providers in the district Rajanpur of South Punjab.

Results and discussion

The findings reveal that rural mothers' access to healthcare and therapeutic programs is impeded due to geographical isolation, structural inequalities, poverty, and illiteracy. Consequently, evil eyes, witchcraft, and spirits are recognized as potential threats to children's health and nutrition. Therefore, the treatment of childhood morbidity and malnutrition is mostly performed with folk, domestic, herbal, magico-religious remedies, and spiritual healing methods. The current study also highlights that many low-income and rural mothers tend to normalize childhood illness when they become unable to advocate for their children's health and nutrition. Besides improving low-income mothers' access to healthcare facilities, health education and risk communication at the field level through field health staff could be most effective for health promotion.

Religion and the state in an episodic moment of COVID-19 in Ghana

The goal of this paper is to discuss the role religions are playing to stem the tide against the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Ghana. Focusing on the ubiquity of religions in Ghana, the paper argues that religious experts deploy their ability to invoke the transcendental being to compel adherents to comply with the lockdown rules, as well as follow precautionary measures to fight the virus in Ghana. The paper also maintains that the state has, in the face of the current crisis, passed a law that could be inimical to the future of religious freedom in the country. Methodologically, I draw on critical reflections on electronic and social media reports about religion and humanitarian services in Ghana to argue that religions are bridging the mundane and spiritual gaps to aid the state, while the state is also creatively engaging religions to invest in prayers and also pass laws that are potentially inimical to the future of religious freedom.

Evidence of chikungunya virus infections among febrile patients at three secondary health facilities in the Ashanti and the Bono Regions of Ghana

BACKGROUND

Chikungunya is now of public health concern globally due to its re-emergence in endemic areas and introduction into new areas of the world. Worldwide, the vectors for transmission of the chikungunya virus are Aedes mosquitoes and these are prevalent in Ghana. Despite its global significance, the true burden of chikungunya virus infection in Ghana is largely unknown and the threat of outbreak remains high owing to international travel. This study sought to determine chikungunya virus infection among febrile patients suspected of having malaria infections at some selected health facilities in the Ashanti, Bono East, and Bono Regions of Ghana.

METHODOLOGY

This cross-sectional study recruited six hundred (600) febrile patients suspected of having malaria who submitted their clinical samples to the laboratories of the selected health facilities for the diagnosis of their infections. Five to ten millilitres (5-10ml) of venous blood were collected from each study participant. Sera were separated and tested for anti-chikungunya (IgM and IgG) antibodies using InBios ELISA kit following the manufacturer's instruction. Samples positive for chikungunya IgM and IgG were selected and tested for chikungunya virus RNA using Reverse Transcription-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction. Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test kits were used to screen the participants for malaria. Structured questionnaires were administered to obtain demographic and clinical information of the study participants.

RESULT

Of the 600 samples tested, the overall seroprevalence of chikungunya was 6%. The seroprevalence of chikungunya IgM and IgG antibodies were 1.8% and 4.2% respectively. None of the chikungunya IgM and IgG positive samples tested positive for chikungunya RNA by RT-qPCR. Of the 600 samples, tested 32.3% (194/600) were positive for malaria parasites. Malaria and chikungunya co-infection was detected in 1.8% (11/600) of the participants.

CONCLUSION

Findings from the current study indicate low-level exposure to the chikungunya virus suggesting the virus is circulating and potentially causing morbidity in Ghana.

Healthcare beliefs and practices of kin caregivers in South Africa: implications for child survival

BACKGROUND

Appropriate health-seeking practices may have a positive influence on child survival, particularly when practiced by kin caregivers of children who are below the age of 5 years. While literature has shown that children who are raised in kinship care often present with poor health outcomes and often have unmet healthcare needs, the health-seeking behaviours and practices of the children's kin caregivers that ultimately influence these health outcomes remain largely unknown. In this paper, we explored the healthcare beliefs and practices of kin caregivers in South Africa on child survival.

METHODS

Overall, 12 structured interviews were conducted with all the participants. Six [6] interviews were conducted in the Eastern Cape province and 6 were conducted in the KwaZulu-Natal province. The sample of participants was obtained by seeking permission from the child welfare authorities in the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) to assist in identifying a sample of the kin-caregivers who have provided primary care to children below the age of 5. The structured interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis. After thematic content analysis was carried out, transcripts were given case numbers and then imported into NViVo version 11 for analysis and interpretation of the findings.

RESULTS

The healthcare seeking behaviours and poor use of healthcare services of the caregivers were largely influenced by their notions and perceptions of health and illness. The notions and perceptions that the caregivers hold about the health statuses of the children placed under their care and illness were found to be largely culturally determined and largely influenced by preconceptions and certain healthcare beliefs. Increased reliance on traditional herbs, Notion of witchcraft and Faith healing emerged as key factors that influence health-seeking practices and beliefs of kin caregivers, thus influencing under-five mortality.

CONCLUSION

Kin caregivers should be equipped with the necessary guidance, resources and training that facilitate the successful fulfilment of the caregiving role, given the number of unmet needs and challenges that they face. This will in turn translate into positive child health outcomes.

Removing barriers to healthcare through an intercultural healthcare system: Focus group evidence

OBJECTIVE

Barriers to healthcare in Ghana are multifaceted. Many people, including patients and providers, face them at different levels. To address these barriers, there is a need to explore the role of an intercultural healthcare system. This paper explores and provides the first evidence on ways through which an intercultural healthcare system can reduce the sociocultural and economic barriers to healthcare in Ghana.

METHODS

Focus group discussions with 35 participants comprising 17 healthcare users, 11 formal healthcare providers and 7 alternative healthcare providers were conducted to gather data. Thematic analyses were performed on the transcribed data and presented based on a posteriori inductive reduction approach.

RESULTS

Findings reveal that an intercultural healthcare system in Ghana can help reduce barriers to healthcare, especially cultural, social and economic barriers, by fostering an enhanced relationship between culture and healthcare, promoting affordable healthcare and promoting effective communication between healthcare providers and users. Weak institutional support, lack of strong political will and commitment, lack of training to meet standards of practice, poor registration and regulatory measures, and lack of universal acceptance inhibit implementation of an intercultural healthcare system in Ghana.

CONCLUSION

The support for intercultural healthcare system and the agreement on its perceived ability to reduce social, cultural and economic healthcare barriers for service users offer an opportunity for policymakers to demonstrate a stronger political will and improved commitment for effective education and training, enforcement of regulatory measures, inclusion of intercultural healthcare in medical school curricula across the country, and community engagement.

Role of Faith healers: A barrier or a support system to medical care- a cross sectional study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Faith healing is a method of treating illnesses through the exercise of faith rather than medical methods. The current study was done with the objective to find out demographic variables of faith healers, various conditions for which the people approach them, various practices and processes used and to look for scope of integrated approach to healthcare with faith healers.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN

RHTC village was a sub center village of PHC Morad. Hence, for the study, all the villages which comes under PHC Morad were selected. The design of the study was a cross-sectional study.

METHODS AND MATERIAL

The study was a cross sectional study where faith healers were interviewed based on a semi structured questionnaire comprising of both close and open-ended questions.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED

Absolute numbers.

RESULTS

Different reasons for which the persons usually came for ranged from supernatural possession, unemployment, family problems etc., and various different processes were used by these healers to solve the problems included giving charms and amulets, personal sacrifices like "baddha" (Nischay/praan) and many others.

CONCLUSION

The study concludes that faith healers in many conditions and situations became the first point of contact as the faith of the community in these faith healers is deeply rooted.

'We are nothing without herbs': a story of herbal remedies use during pregnancy in rural Ghana

BACKGROUND

Herbal medicine has become the panacea for many rural pregnant women in Ghana despite the modern western antenatal care which has developed in most parts of the country. To our knowledge, previous studies investigating herbal medicine use have primarily reported general attitudes and perceptions of use, overlooking the standpoint of pregnant women and their attitudes, and utilisation of herbal medicine in Ghana. Knowledge of herbal medicine use among rural pregnant women and the potential side effects of many herbs in pregnancy are therefore limited in the country; this qualitative study attempts to address this gap by exploring the perceptions of herbal medicine usage among pregnant women in rural Ghana.

METHODS

A sample of 30, conveniently selected pregnant women, were involved in this study from April 11 to June 22, 2017. Data from three different focus group discussions were thematically analysed and presented based on an a posteriori inductive reduction approach.

RESULTS

The main findings were that pregnant women used herbal medicine, most commonly ginger, peppermint, thyme, chamomile, aniseeds, green tea, tealeaf, raspberry, and echinacea leaf consistently throughout the three trimesters of pregnancy. Cultural norms and health beliefs in the form of personal philosophies, desire to manage one's own health, illness perceptions, and a holistic healing approach were ascribed to the widespread use of herbs.

CONCLUSION

We recommend public education and awareness on disclosure of herbal medicine use to medical practitioners among pregnant women.

Correction to: Religion and health: exploration of attitudes and health perceptions of faith healing users in urban Ghana

It was highlighted that the original article [1] contained a typesetting error in the name of Razak M. Gyasi. This was incorrectly captured as Razak M. Gyasi Mohammed in the original article which has since been updated.