01409nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653002300065653001200088653001100100653001100111653001400122653001000136653001200146653000900158653003100167100001600198245010700214300001100321490000700332050001600339520077400355022001401129       1991                            d  c1991 Oct10aAdult10aAttitude to Health10aCulture10aFemale10aHumans10aIndonesia10aIslam10aleprosy10aMale10aSurveys and Questionnaires1 aElissen M C00aBeliefs of leprosy patients about their illness. A study in the province of South Sulawesi, Indonesia.  a379-820 v43  aELISSEN19913 a<p>In Bone district, Province of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, a total of 50 randomly selected leprosy patients were interviewed about their beliefs about their illness with the help of a questionnaire. It became evident, that their knowledge about leprosy was generally satisfactory, but only few patients adopted the bacterial theory as cause of their disease. Besides it was found that leprosy patients tend to discriminate themselves, while more tolerance was found in their healthy contacts. Traditional beliefs and religious ideas played an important role. To overcome the stigma, more health education, based on a multidisciplinary approach is required. Beside the modern medical theory, cultural beliefs and religious views have to be taken into consideration.</p>  a0041-3232