Medical pluralism among older females with non-communicable diseases—PURE cohort study

Introduction
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are more prevalent among older women living in urban areas in South Africa. The increasing burden of disease of NCDs among older women people is placing a heavy burden on the healthcare system. This study aims to investigate the health behaviour for medical treatment and the potential for alternative health treatment options among older women with NCDs from Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study.
Method
From the existing PURE study in South Africa, 188 women over the age of 50 were selected cross-sectionally from an urban site. These participants were queried about their health status, health treatment, diagnosis of NCD and complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) use.
Results
Most of the participants were diagnosed with an NCD (72%; n=135). The median age of these participants was 61, (IQR= 56-67), majority were never married (42%); with secondary education (62%), unemployed/retired (82%), monthly income of ˂ R 2000 (83%), no medical aid (96%) and received medical care from the local clinics (82%). Thirty percent indicated using CAM (n=40) and most were hypertensive (83%), with co-morbidities (58%) and half of them reported using both CAM and prescription medication (n=20).
Discussion
The challenge of medical treatment of NCDs for older women in the developing world remains marginal. Of concern is the potential of older women navigating pluralistic health systems of care to treat and manage NCDs. Better understanding of the pluralistic methods of coping with NCDs among older women should be a priority.