Beliefs and Traditional Medicine Use Among Vietnamese Older Adults: The Case Study in Hoc Mon District

Abstract

The paper explores traditional medicine beliefs among older Vietnamese persons in the Hoc Mon district. Twenty-two respondents aged 62 to 82 years and nine key informants were recruited. Bourdieu’s theory of practice was used to analyze data through thematic analysis. The main findings explore two models of traditional medicine used in the aging population to control chronic diseases and post-stroke: (1) the switch from western to traditional medicine and (2) the use of both western and traditional medicine. Moreover, traditional medicine use is influenced by beliefs about susceptibility and severity of disease, the pros and cons of traditional medicine, and beliefs about traditional medicine practitioners. This exploratory study may shed more light on the promotion of traditional medicine for health and health management for the aging population in Vietnam.