Preventive self-care in three free state communities.

There has been increasing interest in self-care as a potential role-player in health care provision. Existing knowledge about self-care however, is regarded as insufficient, and such knowledge is especially relevant when governments plan to support self-care development programmes. A survey on self-care among whites, blacks and coloureds in the Free State also focused on preventive self-care, and large differences were found between the three groups. Due to several factors, a uniform self-care development programme for all population groups in South Africa, will not be viable.