Table 4.
HSB decision narratives demonstrating (1) the causal factors leading to specific health decisions, (2) the subsequent health seeking actions (and their variants) and (3) the key contextual factors which influence health decisions.
| Health seeking behaviours: possible decision narratives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Causal factor leading to decision | Actions and variants | Contextual influences |
| Self-treatment HSB | ||
| Sick livestock | •Self-diagnosis based on observation of livestock behaviour and clinical signs •Identification of known diseases |
•Indigenous livestock breed •Familiarity of disease •Funds available |
| Biomedical preference | •Use of drugs known to be effective through purchase or stocks kept at home •“Trial and error” use of drugs kept at home •Agrovet: buying medication and self-administering to livestock •Calling other expert or social network for advice on diagnosis or drug use |
•Advice from agrovets, livestock officers and social network •Past experience with positive outcome of specific drugs •Funds available |
| Local healing preference | •Collecting herbs, used for known diseases/symptoms •Herd management |
•Local remedies known and used, but scepticism over effectiveness •Familiarity with disease/ailment •Familiarity with effectiveness of treatment |
| Formal treatment HSB | ||
| Sick livestock | •Drawing on formal sources of advice from trusted expert | •Condition persists or worsens (after self-treatment) |
| Biomedical preference | •Calling the LFO •Calling a private vet or paraprofessional when selftreatment options exhausted •Agrovet: asking trained veterinary agrovet for advice on diagnosis/treatment options •Calling “non officially recognised” paraprofessionals such as CAHWs |
•Exotic breed •For specific conditions (anthrax, black quarter) •For unfamiliar symptoms/ disease •During disease outbreak / vaccination |
| Local healing preference | •Calling in traditional healer or herbal expert | •Belief in traditional practises •Cost |
Causal factors initiate the need to seek remedial actions (i.e., a sick animal) and personal preference dictates whether biomedical or lay treatments will be chosen in the first instance. Choice is also heavily determined by contextual influences, such as prior experiences, familiarity, availability of providers, beliefs and breed of livestock which further highlight the complexity of factors that lead to certain health decisions.