Rural–urban health-seeking behaviours for non-communicable diseases in Sierra Leone
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21881014 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ayesha Idriss (0000-0001-9926-2542, Queen Margaret University, corresponding author), Karin Diaconu (0000-0002-5810-9725, Queen Margaret University), Guanyang Zou (0000-0001-6933-2749, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine), Reynold G B Senesi (Ministry of Health and Sanitation), Reynold GB Senesi (Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health Directorate, Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Western Area, Sierra Leone), Haja Wurie (0000-0002-2500-3393, University of Sierra Leone), Sophie Witter (0000-0002-7656-6188, Queen Margaret University) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | e002024 |
| Publication date | 2020-02-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMJ Global Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2059-7908 • E-ISSN: 2059-7908 |
| Publisher | BMJ (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002024 |
| PMID | 32181002 |
| OpenAlex | W3009882440 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 12 |
| References cited | 17 |
Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of mortality globally. In Africa, they are expected to increase by 25% by 2030. However, very little is known about community perceptions of risk factors and factors influencing health-seeking behaviour, especially in fragile settings. Understanding these is critical to effectively address this epidemic, especially in low-resource settings. Methods: We use participatory group model building techniques to probe knowledge and perceptions of NCD conditions and their causes, health-seeking patterns for NCDs and factors affecting these health-seeking patterns. Our participants were 116 local leaders and community members in three sites in Western Area (urban) and Bombali District (rural), Sierra Leone. Data were analysed using a prior framework for NCD care seeking developed in Ghana. Results: Our findings suggest adequate basic knowledge of causes and symptoms of the common NCDs, in rural and urban areas, although there is a tendency to highlight and react to severe symptoms. Urban and rural communities have access to a complex network of formal and informal, traditional and biomedical, spiritual and secular health providers. We highlight multiple narratives of causal factors which community members can hold, and how these and social networks influence their care seeking. Care seeking is influenced by a number of factors, including supply-side factors (proximity and cost), previous experiences of care, disease-specific factors, such as acute presentation, and personal and community beliefs about the appropriateness of different strategies. Conclusion: This article adds to the limited literature on community understanding of NCDs and its associated health-seeking behaviour in fragile settings. It is important to further elucidate these factors, which power hybrid journeys including non-care seeking, failure to prevent and self-manage effectively, and considerable expenditure for households, in order to improve prevention and management of NCDs in fragile settings such as Sierra Leone
Citizen journalism · Economic growth · Environmental health · Health care · Political science · Public health · Rural area · Rural health · Sierra leone · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Global Health and Epidemiology · Global Maternal and Child Health · Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology · Medicine · Nursing
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| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2020 - 2025 (6) |
| Highly cited | No |