NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia.
Center for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa), Addis Ababa University, PO Box 9086, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020 Feb 18;20(1):60. doi: 10.1186/s12906-020-2852-6.
Traditional medicine serves as a form of primary health care for more than 80% of African populations. Currently, there is no research documenting if and how African migrant communities engage with their traditional health practices and beliefs after they resettle in Western countries. The aim of this study was to examine African migrant women's experiences and perspectives about traditional and complementary medicine use in relation to their maternal health and wellbeing in Australia.
We conducted a mixed method study between December 2016 and October 2017. Questionnaires were completed by 319 women and 15 in-depth interviews were conducted among African migrant women residing across the Sydney metropolitan area, Australia. Survey data were analysed using SPSS (version 23) and logistic regression model was used to test associations. Qualitative data were analysed thematically using NVivo 11 software to identify themes and conceptual categories in the participants' responses. The study was informed by Andersen's Socio-behavioural model of health service utilisation.
The findings indicated that use of traditional and complementary medicine was high and continued to be well used following African women's resettlement in Australia. The survey found that 232 (72.7%) women use some form of traditional and complementary medicine for maternal health and wellbeing purposes. Most women (179, 77.2%) reported that maintaining their maternal health and wellbeing was the most common reason for use. The interview findings indicated that access to traditional medicine included making requests from relatives and friends who travelled to Africa looking for a similar medicinal plant in Australia and preparing home remedies with advice from family members and healers back in Africa. Age ≥ 35 years (OR, 16.5; 95%CI, 6.58-41.5; p < 0.001), lower education (OR, 24; 95%CI, 8.18-71.1; p < 0.001), parity (OR, 7.3; 95%CI, 1.22-42.81; p = 0.029), and lower income (OR, 2.7; 95%CI, 1.23-5.83; p = 0.013) were strong predictors of traditional medicine use.
Use of traditional and complementary medicine among African migrant women in Sydney remained high following resettlement in Australia. As noted in Andersen's sociobehavioural model of health service utilisation, specific predisposing and enabling factors including age, education and income were associated with use of traditional and complementary medicine.
传统医学是非洲 80%以上人口的主要医疗形式。目前，尚无研究记录非洲移民社区在移居西方国家后是否以及如何参与其传统健康实践和信仰。本研究的目的是探讨非洲移民妇女在澳大利亚的生育健康和福祉方面使用传统和补充医学的经验和观点。
我们于 2016 年 12 月至 2017 年 10 月期间进行了一项混合方法研究。319 名妇女完成了问卷调查，15 名居住在澳大利亚悉尼大都市区的非洲移民妇女接受了深入访谈。使用 SPSS（第 23 版）分析调查数据，并使用逻辑回归模型检验关联。使用 NVivo 11 软件对定性数据进行主题分析，以确定参与者回答中的主题和概念类别。该研究以安德森的卫生服务利用社会行为模型为指导。
研究结果表明，传统和补充医学的使用非常普遍，并且在非洲妇女在澳大利亚重新定居后仍继续得到广泛应用。调查发现，232 名（72.7%）妇女出于生育健康和福祉的目的使用某种形式的传统和补充医学。大多数妇女（179 名，77.2%）报告说，维持生育健康和福祉是最常见的使用原因。访谈结果表明，获得传统医学包括向前往非洲寻找类似药用植物的亲戚朋友提出请求，并根据家庭成员和治疗师在非洲的建议准备家庭疗法。年龄≥35 岁（OR，16.5；95%CI，6.58-41.5；p<0.001）、教育程度较低（OR，24；95%CI，8.18-71.1；p<0.001）、生育次数（OR，7.3；95%CI，1.22-42.81；p=0.029）和较低收入（OR，2.7；95%CI，1.23-5.83；p=0.013）是传统医学使用的强烈预测因素。
在澳大利亚重新定居后，悉尼的非洲移民妇女仍大量使用传统和补充医学。如安德森卫生服务利用社会行为模型所述，特定的倾向因素和促成因素，包括年龄、教育和收入，与传统和补充医学的使用有关。
