Khan M I, Bhuiya A, Chowdhury M
Glimpse. 1996 Jan-Feb;18(1):8.
The study aims to examine the perceptions, causes, and treatment of diseases among the people of a few selected villages in Matlab and their relation to traditional culture and interventions made by BRAC and ICDDR,B in the form of rural development and MCH-FP programs. Four sets of villages were chosen purposively--two DSS and the other two non-DSS. In one of the DSS villages the MCH-FP program is underway, while the other does not have such programs. Likewise, one of the non-DSS villages has the rural development program of BRAC, while the other does not have any. From each village 10 respondents were selected purposively to gather information. The perception of disease is mostly defined in terms of the functions of the body. On very few occasions it is defined in terms of the action rendered by germs or the pathological condition of the body organs. The difference between the meaning and the actual diseases is often blurred. While identifying the causes, often the reference is made to invisible spirits, locally known as alga batash. The modes of treatment combine both modern and traditional elements. However, the health teaching educates them about the perception, causes, and treatment of certain diseases. In society, the elderly people, religious preachers, and traditional healers play important roles to influence the mind of the people. Sometimes gender relations and other structural features also bear on the minds of the illiterate poor. The difference between the intervention and non-intervention villages is expressed in the fact that the people of the intervention villages are constantly exposed to the agents making changes, while in the non-intervention villages it is intermittent. Traditional culture still plays an important role in the construction of disease perception and the choice of treatment, while modern approaches are combined with it. The intervention procedures widen modern approaches but could not eliminate the traditional notions altogether.
该研究旨在考察马特拉布一些选定村庄的居民对疾病的认知、病因及治疗方法，以及它们与传统文化的关系，还有孟加拉农村发展委员会（BRAC）和孟加拉腹泻病研究国际中心（ICDDR,B）以农村发展和妇幼保健及计划生育项目形式所做的干预措施。有目的地选取了四组村庄——两组参与疾病监测系统（DSS），另外两组未参与。在其中一个参与DSS的村庄，妇幼保健及计划生育项目正在实施，而另一个则没有此类项目。同样，在一个未参与DSS的村庄，有BRAC的农村发展项目，而另一个则没有任何项目。从每个村庄有目的地选取10名受访者以收集信息。对疾病的认知大多依据身体的功能来界定。极少数情况下是依据病菌的作用或身体器官的病理状况来界定。疾病的含义与实际病症之间的差异常常模糊不清。在确定病因时，常常会提及无形的灵魂，当地称之为“alga batash”。治疗方式结合了现代和传统元素。然而，健康宣教向他们传授某些疾病的认知、病因及治疗方法。在社会中，老年人、宗教传教士和传统治疗师在影响人们的观念方面发挥着重要作用。有时性别关系和其他结构特征也会对文盲贫困人群的观念产生影响。干预村庄和非干预村庄的差异体现在，干预村庄的人们持续接触带来变化的因素，而非干预村庄则是间歇性接触。传统文化在疾病认知的构建和治疗方法的选择中仍然发挥着重要作用，同时现代方法与之相结合。干预措施拓宽了现代方法，但无法完全消除传统观念。
