M.Tech. / In 2004, the Health Products Association (HPA) reported that the complementary health care industry in South Africa is growing at a rate of approximately 18% per annum (Health Products Association, 2004). This surge in awareness and interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is largely consumer-driven. Although the total market size for complementary health products in 2003 was R1 928 661 375, homoeopathy constitutes only 4% of this total. The identification of potential problems and opportunities through situational analysis is necessary if effective marketing of homoeopathy is to be achieved. One of the most common and effective methods of obtaining market related data is the survey method. Market segmentation refers to the division of the total sample group into homogeneous groups of consumers. The South African Advertising Research Foundation’s (SAARF) Living Standards Measure (LSM) has become the most widely used market segmentation research tool in South Africa. The LSM groups people according to their living standards using criteria such as degree of urbanisation and ownership of cars and major appliances. This system, divides the South African population into ten LSM groups, 10 being the highest or “top end” of the market and 1 being the “low end” of the market. This study formed part of a 3 part study to establish the perceptions of the South African public towards homoeopathy with regard to awareness, usage, treatment and cost expectations using a survey in the form of a questionnaire. The sample group consisted of a total of 352 respondents completing interviews conducted in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein, East London and Port Elizabeth. Trained field workers, under the supervision of the researcher presented the survey to the sample group in the form of door to door interviews. Field workers employed by Research Surveys (Pty) Limited, a professional market research company, conducted the interviews. This study focuses on LSM groups 9 and 10. iii Cromarty (2007), completed the first part of the 3 part study. The results from that study indicated that 22% and 34% of respondents in LSM groups 7 and 8 respectively had heard of homoeopathy before. In general the respondents view homoeopathy as fairly effective for certain conditions but they would rather see a medical practitioner for certain conditions and are unlikely to see a homoeopath in the future. All of this did not seem to be related to the perceived cost of homoeopathic treatment. It was also noted that consumers in LSM groups 7 and 8 were generally uncertain about homoeopathy in regard to general awareness, usage and as a product in general. After analysis of the results of this study, it can be concluded that consumers in LSM groups 9 (49%) and 10 (66%) have a higher awareness of homoeopathy when compared to LSM groups 7 and 8. In general, LSM groups 9 and 10, feel that although they perceive homoeopaths to be well trained, they still would only go and see a homoeopath for certain illnesses and would rather consult with a medical doctor. These consumers are also more likely to visit a homoeopath in the future. In contrast to the researcher’s expectations, the decision to possibly visit a homoeopath in the future does not seem to be directly associated with perceived cost or medical aid re-imbursement. It also appears that, in general, there is still much uncertainty as to what “homoeopathy” is and what homoeopaths as professionals do.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:8275 |
| Date | 31 March 2009 |
| Creators | Manga, Ameesha |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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