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University of Oregon

Publication Date

Summer 2014

Program Name

Madagascar: Traditional Medicine and Health Care Systems

Abstract

Despite many differences between urban and rural areas of Madagascar, large families are staples in Malagasy culture throughout. However, family planning has recently become one of the most in-demand aspects of healthcare in the country. The discrepancies between rural and urban zones are apparent in this new wave of contraceptive use and child spacing. Interviews in both Andasibe (a rural region of Madagascar) and Antananarivo (the urban capital of the country) were combined with a review of current literature on the subject, in order to distinguish the differences between the two. Ultimately it was found that socioeconomic background and preference of traditional vs. allopathic medicines are not main contributors to the variances between the two regions. What most differentiates the rural area from the urban is access to health services and the family planning services available. An integrated healthcare approach is key to helping fill the gaps that have been created in rural Madagascar, so that family planning there may rival the success of family planning in the larger urban areas.

Disciplines

Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Public Health | Public Health Education and Promotion

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