The behaviour of the people of NE Thailand towards medicines for self-treatment.
type: CreativeWork
description: Musculoskeletal pain is one of the most common illnesses among the people of north-eastern Thailand and is commonly treated by self-medication. Ya-chud (several medicines together in a small plastic bag) for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain is an illegal treatment, but has been used by lay people for more than twenty years. This thesis sought a better understanding of how people perceive Ya-chud and of their behaviour in taking it for treatment of musculoskeletal pain, with a view to designing an effective implementation programme for the purpose of reducing the usage of Ya-chud. The research used a study group that consisted of people aged 15 or older, and living in two rural (N = 619) and two urban (N = 494) areas of north-eastern Thailand. The study used individual interviews in order to investigate self-treatment of musculoskeletal pain - both with and without Ya-chud - in urban and rural areas. Attitudes of Ya-chud users in the urban areas (N = 136) and the rural areas (N = 128) were measured using a six-point Likert Scale, with a Conbach's alpha coefficient of 0.7509. The research included comparative analyses of variables between these two areas, and between the users and non-users. In-depth interviews and laboratory analysis of Ya-chud samples were carried out to obtain more detailed information. The study found that Ya-chud for musculoskeletal pain was often used as an alternative treatment after previous treatment had been unsatisfactory, particularly when pain was experienced in many locations of the body simultaneously. The discriminant stepwise analysis showed that 85.9 percent of Ya-chud users in both rural and urban areas were at least 25 years old, and had an education level of primary or secondary school. The overall prevalence of Ya-chud users in the rural areas was higher than in the urban areas, but the prevalence of those who had taken Ya-chud within the past year was greater in the urban areas. Ya-chud use also varied with the season, peak…
abstract: Musculoskeletal pain is one of the most common illnesses among the people of north-eastern Thailand and is commonly treated by self-medication. Ya-chud (several medicines together in a small plastic bag) for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain is an illegal treatment, but has been used by lay people for more than twenty years. This thesis sought a better understanding of how people perceive Ya-chud and of their behaviour in taking it for treatment of musculoskeletal pain, with a view to designing an effective implementation programme for the purpose of reducing the usage of Ya-chud. The research used a study group that consisted of people aged 15 or older, and living in two rural (N = 619) and two urban (N = 494) areas of north-eastern Thailand. The study used individual interviews in order to investigate self-treatment of musculoskeletal pain - both with and without Ya-chud - in urban and rural areas. Attitudes of Ya-chud users in the urban areas (N = 136) and the rural areas (N = 128) were measured using a six-point Likert Scale, with a Conbach's alpha coefficient of 0.7509. The research included comparative analyses of variables between these two areas, and between the users and non-users. In-depth interviews and laboratory analysis of Ya-chud samples were carried out to obtain more detailed information. The study found that Ya-chud for musculoskeletal pain was often used as an alternative treatment after previous treatment had been unsatisfactory, particularly when pain was experienced in many locations of the body simultaneously. The discriminant stepwise analysis showed that 85.9 percent of Ya-chud users in both rural and urban areas were at least 25 years old, and had an education level of primary or secondary school. The overall prevalence of Ya-chud users in the rural areas was higher than in the urban areas, but the prevalence of those who had taken Ya-chud within the past year was greater in the urban areas. Ya-chud use also varied with the season, peak…
author: Chadbunchachai, Supatra
language: en
date published: 1997
date modified: 2026-07-24T04:09:48Z
provider: Robert Gordon University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Robert Gordon University