Promotions and Consumer Attitudes towards Traditional Medicine Usage in Central Uganda (Published)
In times of modernity and with advancements in modern medicine, usage for traditional medicine (TM) was expected to have reduced. Instead, TM usage has increased and literature points to a number of predictors; among which is the promotions from the Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs). However, little is known of how the art of communication used by THPs in these promotions, is interpreted by the TM users, which in effect could influence their attitudes hence usage of TM. The objective of the study therefore was to examine the influence of the promotional strategies on the consumer attitudes of TM users in Central Uganda. A sample of 369 respondents was drawn using purposive and snowballing sampling techniques and data was analysed using both SPSS/20 and AMOS/23. Results show that promotions highly correlates with consumer attitude (r=.820, p≤.01) and that for every one unit change in promotions, there will be a 27.392 change in consumer attitude. The findings should enable THPs adjust their promotional strategies to be able to take advantage of the most perceived credible promotional strategies, which are highlighted in the study, in order to tap the increasing TM demand. The study was cross-sectional, so there is need for a longitudinal approach should be explored to examine the promotional influence on attitudes across time.
Keywords: Promotions, Traditional Medicine, consumer attitudes, traditional health practitioners
Information Asymmetry: Mediator between Promotions and Usage of Traditional Medicine in Central Uganda (Published)
There has been an overwhelming usage for traditional medicine (TM) in the recent times despite several developments in modern medicine. The increased demand is attributable to a number of factors among which is the aggressive promotions from the Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs). The TM promotions are however, suspected to be incomplete, inconsistent and inadequate which could explain the increased TM usage but the empirical evidence is limited. The study therefore set out to empirically test the mediating effect of information asymmetry on the relationship between promotions and consumer usage behavior of TM. A sample size of 369 participants was determined using Crochran’s formula, and a structured questionnaire was administered using a face-to-face approach. SPSS Statistics 20 was used to run the preliminary analysis while SPSS AMOS 23 was used to test for mediation using bootstrapping. The results showed that information asymmetry is a significant partial mediator in the relationship between promotions and consumer usage behavior of TM users. In conclusion therefore, the study provides empirical evidence of the role of information asymmetries and their effect on TM usage. The findings should aid policymakers in their understanding of the influence of TM promotions and information asymmetry on the majority Ugandans, hence guide the formulation of laws and policies on TM promotions. The main study limitation was the cross-sectional approach used; hence a longitudinal approach should be explored to examine this mediation effect across time. There is also need to understand information asymmetry from the THPs’ perspectives.
Keywords: Information Asymmetry, Promotions, Traditional Medicine, consumer usage behavior, traditional health practitioners