[An anthropological approach to how Tchaman people in the Côte-d'Ivoire view hemiplegia].

Objective: Investigate the underlying beliefs, knowledge and therapeutic attitudes toward hemiplegia of the Tchaman people of the Ivory Coast.

Material And Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional study conducted over 10 months in 20 Tchaman village communities in the Ivory Coast. Three groups of people were interviewed: patients with hemiplegia, the circle and close neighbourhood of patients and traditional doctors. The questionnaire asked about epidemiological characteristics; the definition, origin and sociocultural causes of hemiplegia; attitude toward therapy; and developmental aspects of hemiplegia after treatment.

Results: The word "awoyo" was most often used (53.3%) to refer to hemiplegia whose origin is most of the time attributed to a curse (57%). For 45% of the people interviewed, hemiplegia is a severe disease that can cause death and is associated with the development of a stationary evolution after treatment. The Tchaman follow modern and traditional methods of treatment for hemiplegia.

Conclusion: Need to sensitize the Tchaman people to functional rehabilitation for effective assistance to patients with hemiplegia.