Practices at an AYUSH health camp for asthma in Pendra, Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh has abundant herbal resources and a parallel AYUSH public health system. AYUSH health camps are conducted regularly in rural areas of the State by public and social sectors. The study aims to advocate the gravity of policy issues involved in AYUSH practices at health camps. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Pendra block of Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh. Random sample of 600 people attending the camp were interviewed. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on disease complaints and established risk factors for asthma. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to calculate odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Analysis suggests that there was a significant decrease in reported asthmatic attacks (OR 6.68, 95% CI 4.05-11.01) among those who attended the camp. Established risk factors of asthma that were identified as prevalent in the community were using wood and biomass as fuel (OR 2.61, 95% CI 1.30-5.24) and damp walls (OR 1.88, CI 0.9-3.93). Practices at AYUSH health camps conducted by the public and nonpublic sectors need to be documented and reported. People have faith in traditional medicine, and the remedies and practices need to be further explicated and validated in context to health care-seeking practices. The importance of formulation of guidelines by the government for conducting AYUSH health camps is indicated.