Cultural study of diarrhoeal illnesses in central Thailand and its practical implications

A cultural study of diarrhoeal illness was conducted using the Explanatory Model Interview for Cultural Assessment (EMIC) to compare two socioeconomically distinct subdistricts of central Thailand and to determine the practical implications of illness-related perceptions, beliefs and practices. Subjects specified 12 terms for diarrhoeal illnesses that were grouped into four locally meaningful groups, namely, tong-sia, a non-specific term for diarrhoea, bid, associated with colicky abdominal pain, ahiwa, referring to severe illness, often cholera; and taae-tua, diarrhoea associated with milestones of growth and development. To compare pre-existing beliefs and practices with the experience of caretakers when actually confronted with an episode of illness, we inquired about each of the terms and about index cases in subsequent interviews over the course of a six-month surveillance period. Patterns of distress, perceived causes, and preferences for help seeking and treatment elicited by the EMIC identified cultural features of the four groups of diarrhoeal illness. Perceived causes of diarrhoea associated with sanitation, hygiene and infection, which most respondents considered preventable, were prominent explanations for three of the four categories, and the fourth was viewed as a normal feature of growth and development, rather than medical illness. We discuss these and other findings with reference to use of ORS and other issues related to the prevention and control of diarrhoeal illness, concluding with recommendations for public health policy and research.