Abstract
Two Sundanese kampungs, P and S, and one Javanese kampung, B, were surveyed for the prevalence of sickness and the cause of death in 1981 and 1982, in relation to environmental factors and the various aspects of social development. Prevalence of sickness and Causes of death were surveyed by house-to-house interview. Prevalence rates per thousand per 15 days were 442, 410 and 118, for P, S and B, respectively. Point prevalence rates were 345, 262 and 88, respectively, as compared with 130 of the Japan in 1981. About 8.7% of the sick persons suffered long-term work disability. About two-thirds of the deaths were presumed to be due to infectious diseases. Almost all sickness had been treated by cheap self-medication, by mantri, and by visiting the municipal health center. The high sickness prevalence among Sundanese villagers may be related to low environmental sanitation, borderline nutrition, high population growth with limited improvement of agricultural productivity, lower social development, including primary education, family planning and modern medical care, and stronger Islamic bondage, when compared with the Central Javanese villagers.
