Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy
Volume 7, Issue 1 , Pages 81-92 , March 2011

Pain, infection, and colds and flu: Samoan people's views about antibiotics

  • Pauline Norris, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +64 3 4797359; fax: +64 3 4797034.
    • ,
  • Cecilia Va'ai, B.Pharm.

      Affiliations

    • PO Box 9424, Apia Samoa
    • ,
  • Fuafiva Fa'alau, M.A.(Hons.)

      Affiliations

    • School of Social and Cultural Studies Massey University, Albany, Private Bag 102 904, North Shore MSC, Auckland, New Zealand
    • ,
  • Marianna Churchward, B.A.

      Affiliations

    • Health Services Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
    • ,
  • Bruce Arroll, M.B.Ch.B., Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of General Practice and Primary Healthcare, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

References 

  1. Norris P, Fa'alau F, Va'ai C, Churchward M, Arroll B. Navigating between illness paradigms: treatment-seeking by Samoan people in Samoa and New Zealand. Qual Health Res. 2009;19:1466–1475
  2. Kendall-Taylor N. Treatment seeking for a chronic disorder: how families in coastal Kenya make epilepsy treatment decisions. Hum Organ. 2009;68:141–153
  3. Reniers G, Tesfai R. Health services utilization during terminal illness in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Health Policy Plan. 2009;24:312–319
  4. Chadda RK, Agarwal V, Singh MC, Raheja D. Help seeking behaviour of psychiatric patients before seeking care at a mental hospital. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2001;47:71–78
  5. Green E. Traditional healers, mothers and childhood diarrheal disease in Swaziland: the interface of anthropology and health education. Soc Sci Med. 1985;20:277–285
  6. Ngokwey N. Home remedies and doctors' remedies in Feira (Brazil). Soc Sci Med. 1995;40:1141–1153
  7. Whyte S, Van der Geest S, Hardon A. Social Lives of Medicines. Cambridge Studies in Medical Anthropology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 2002;
  8. Norris P, Simpson T, Bird K, Kirifi J. Understanding of pharmacy terms amongst three ethnic groups in New Zealand. Int J Pharm Pract. 2001;9:269–274
  9. Arroll B, Everts N. The common cold: what does the public think and want?. N Z Fam Physician. 1999;26:51–56
  10. Boyle C. Differences between patients' and doctors' interpretation of some common medical terms. BMJ. 1970;2:286–289
  11. Spiro D, Heidrich F. Lay understanding of medical terminology. J Fam Pract. 1983;17:277–279
  12. Kinloch P. Talking Health but Doing Sickness: Studies in Samoan Health. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press; 1985;
  13. Capstick S, Norris P, Sopoaga F, Tobata W. Relationships between health and culture in Polynesia—a review. Soc Sci Med. 2009;68:1341–1348
  14. Popay J, Rogers A, Williams G. Rationale and standards for the systematic review of qualitative literature in health services research. Qual Health Res. 1998;8:341–351
  15. Nichter M, Nichter M. Anthropology and International Health: Asian Case Studies. New York, NY: Routledge; 1996;
  16. The World Factbook—Samoa. Central Intelligence Agency, USA. Available at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ws.htmlAccessed 26.01.10
  17. Pacific profiles—Samoan. Statistics New Zealand. Available at http://www2.stats.govt.nz/domino/external/web/nzstories.nsf/0/1651da146cb89163cc256ccb0066c5dd?OpenDocumentAccessed 26.01.10
  18. Australian social trends: population—population characteristics: ancestry of Australia's population. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Available at http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.NSF/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/af5129cb50e07099ca2570eb0082e462!OpenDocumentAccessed 26.01.10
  19. Harris PM, Jones NA. We the people: Pacific Islanders in the United States: Census 2000 special reports. United States Census Bureau. Available at, http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/censr-26.pdf; 2005. Accessed 26.01.10.
  20. Macpherson C, Macpherson L. Samoan Medical Belief and Practice. Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland University Press; 1990;
  21. World Health Organisation . Report on Infectious Disease 2000: Overcoming Antimicrobial Resistance. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organisation; 2000;
  22. Arroll B, Kenealy T. Antibiotics for the Common Cold (Cochrane Review). Oxford, UK: Update Software; 2000;
  23. Belongia E, Schwartz B. Strategies for promoting judicious use of antibiotics by doctors and patients. BMJ. 1998;317:668–671
  24. Branthwaite A, Pechere J-C. Pan-European survey of patients' attitudes to antibiotics and antibiotic use. J Intern Med Res. 1996;24:229–238
  25. Eng JV, Marcus R, Hadler JL, et al. Consumer attitudes and use of antibiotics. Emerg Infect Dis. 2003;9:1128–1135
  26. Dameh M, Norris P, Green J. Antibiotic sales at private pharmacies in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Pharm World Sci. accepted.
  27. Wolffers I. Drug information and sale practices in some pharmacies of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Soc Sci Med. 1987;25:319–321
  28. Chuc N, Larsson M, Falkenberg T, Do N, Binh N, Tomson G. Management of childhood acute respiratory infections at private pharmacies in Vietnam. Ann Pharmacother. 2001;35:1283–1288
  29. Bi P, Tong S, Parton K. Family self-medication and antibiotics abuse for children and juveniles in a Chinese city. Soc Sci Med. 2000;50:1445–1450
  30. Borg M, Scicluna E. Over-the-counter acquisition of antibiotics in the Maltese general population. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2002;20:253–257
  31. Carrasco-Garrido P, Jimenez-Garcia R, Barrera V, Gil de Miguel A. Predictive factors of self-medicated drug use among the Spanish adult population. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2008;17:193–199
  32. Norris P, Nguyen H. Consumption of antibiotics in a small Pacific Island nation: Samoa. Pharm Pract. 2007;5:36–41
  33. Patton M. Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage; 1990;
  34. Rice P, Ezzy D. Qualitative Research Methods: A Health Focus. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press; 1999;
  35. Norris P, Toner E, Morris K. Public understandings of bacteria, antibiotics and resistance: letter to the editor. N Z Med J. 2003;116(July 11):
  36. van Driel M, De Sutter A, Deveugele M, et al. Are sore throat patients who hope for antibiotics actually asking for pain relief?. Ann Fam Med. 2006;4:494–499
  37. Rogers A, Hassell K, Nicolaas G. Demanding Patients: Analysing the Use of Primary Care. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press; 1999;
  38. Little P, Gould C, Williamson I, Warner G, Gantley M, Kinmonth AL. Reattendance and complications in a randomised trial of prescribing strategies for sore throat: the medicalising effect of prescribing antibiotics. BMJ. 1997;315:350–352
  39. Common colds: get the facts. National Prescribing Service Ltd Australia. Available at http://www.nps.org.au/consumers/campaigns/ccncsAccessed 26.01.10

PII: S1551-7411(10)00030-6

doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2010.01.002

Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy
Volume 7, Issue 1 , Pages 81-92 , March 2011

Article Tools