02565nas a2200397   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653002100065653002300086653002000109653002500129653001100154653003400165653001100199653001200210653000900222653001600231653002600247653001200273653003800285653003200323653002100355100001000376700001300386700001500399700001600414700002000430245009700450856005900547300001000606490000700616050001700623520151300640022001402153       1998                            d  c1998 Dec10aAdult10aAge Distribution10aAttitude to Health10aData Collection10aDeveloping countries10aFemale10aHealth Services Accessibility10aHumans10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aMultivariate Analysis10aNigeria10aPatient Acceptance of Health Care10aProportional Hazards Models10aSex Distribution1 aWeg N1 aPost E B1 aLucassen R1 aDe Jong J T1 aVan Den Broek J00aExplanatory models and help-seeking behaviour of leprosy patients in Adamawa State, Nigeria.  uhttp://leprev.ilsl.br/pdfs/1998/v69n4/pdf/v69n4a08.pdf  a382-90 v69  aVANDEWEG19983 a<p>In northern Nigeria 60 leprosy patients, 49 outpatients and 11 in-patients, were interviewed about their help-seeking behaviour and explanatory models before their first contact with the leprosy services. Most patients showed a delay of more than 1 year. After leprosy was provisionally diagnosed by lay persons, 27% of patients found their way to the leprosy services within 3 months. Chemists (popular sector) and the professional sector frequently missed the diagnosis. If early case finding is to be improved, it is important to involve them in case finding activities and to train them in adequate diagnostic skills. No significant correlations were found between total delay and sex, age, religion or leprosy classification, except with visible deformity at the time of the interview and illiteracy. Consultation of folk healers was the major reason for delay. Most patients consulted folk healers, who, although they claimed to have a positive attitude towards modern medicine in the case of leprosy, never referred patients to the leprosy services. While many patients held a variety of causes responsible for leprosy, most patients explained the disease in traditional terms (58%), while only a minority used modern concepts (20%). This emphasizes the need for continuous attention for health education of diagnosed patients and their families. No significant difference was found between male and female patients concerning their concept of leprosy. Denial of the leprosy diagnosis was rare.</p>  a0305-7518