Seasons of Hunger: Fighting Cycles of Quiet Starvation Among the World’s Rural Poor

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Book Review: Seasons of Hunger: Fighting Cycles of Quiet Starvation Among the World’s Rural Poor

Title: Seasons of hunger: Fighting cycles of quiet starvation among the world’s rural poorAuthors: Stephen Devereaux, Bapu Vaitla and Samuel Hauenstein SwanPublication Date:2008Publisher: Pluto PressISBN: 978 0 7453 2826 3 (Paperback, 148 pages

Self-medication in three Orange Free State communities

A study on self-care among whites, blacks and coloureds also focused on different forms of self-medication, including non-compliance. Large differences were found in the self-medication behaviour of the three groups. Different correlates of non-compliance were explored, but selfmedication was not found to be a substitute for formal medical care.S Afr Med J 1993; 83: 345-34

Perceived Threat of Malaria and the Use of Insecticide Treated Bed Nets in Nigeria

Using multiple qualitative methods, this study investigated the perceived threat and perceived susceptibility of children under five years of age to malaria, and willingness of the caregivers to use the ITNs in the prevention of malaria in selected rural and urban areas of Nigeria. The health belief model (HBM) is the theoretical anchor of the study. Samples included mothers, fathers and grandparents whose child/ward had manifested malaria symptoms at one time or another and who had reported or failed to report such cases at the available health centres. Other respondents were community leaders, health workers and traditional pharmacists popularly known as elewe-omo. The study found that malaria was perceived as a serious health problem and a threat to the children by the majority of the respondents. However, high perceived threat of malaria did not guarantee widespread use of the ITNs owing to limited access and poor distribution networks. Some measures for equitable and sustainable distribution and use of the ITNs in local communities have been recommended.Keywords: malaria; children; insecticide treated nets; health belief model; caregivers; Nigeria

Contemporary Discourses in Qualitative Research: Lessons for Health Research in Nigeria

Quantitative research has permeated and dominated health research in Nigeria. One of the oldest and the most commonly used quantitative research designs are KAP (knowledge, attitude and practice) surveys. Although KAP surveys are important approaches to assessing distribution of community knowledge in large-scale projects, such surveys are often inundated by challenges, especially with regard to accurate measurement and understanding of social construction of health and illness. This paper examines contemporary ontological, epistemological, axiological and methodological discourses in the qualitative research approach and argues for adequate utilisation of the qualitative approach in health research in Nigeria. The qualitative approach deepens understanding of cultural milieu regarding health beliefs and socio-cultural issues surrounding medical therapy, as well as health seeking behaviour. Therefore, this paperargues for a more participatory research methodology in the understanding of health, illness and disease in Nigeria. Some case studies of qualitative research from Nigeria and abroad were reviewed from which health researchers (clinical managers and health social scientists and public health experts) could learn. The paper is thus a contribution to the ongoing discourses in global qualitative health research.Keywords: Qualitative research; quantitative research; ontology; epistemology; developing countries; Nigeria