Lay community perceptions and treatment options for hypertension in rural northern Ghana: a qualitative analysis

Objective: Adherence to hypertension treatment is a major public health challenge for low and middle-income countries particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. One potential reason could be the discordance between lay and medical explanatory models of hypertension and its treatment. Understanding communit...

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Autores: Nyaaba, Gertrude Nsorma, Masana, Lina, Aikins, Ama de-Graft, Stronks, Karien, Agyemang, Charles
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/134606
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/134606
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Hipertensió
Ghana
Investigació qualitativa
Hypertension
Qualitative research
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spelling Lay community perceptions and treatment options for hypertension in rural northern Ghana: a qualitative analysisNyaaba, Gertrude NsormaMasana, LinaAikins, Ama de-GraftStronks, KarienAgyemang, CharlesHipertensióGhanaInvestigació qualitativaHypertensionQualitative researchObjective: Adherence to hypertension treatment is a major public health challenge for low and middle-income countries particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. One potential reason could be the discordance between lay and medical explanatory models of hypertension and its treatment. Understanding community perceptions and practices may contribute to improving hypertension control as they present insights into psychosocial and cultural factors that shape individual behaviour. We explore community perceptions regarding hypertension and its treatment in rural northern Ghana and how they differ from medical understanding. Design: This was a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions to collect data, which were analysed using a thematic approach. Setting: A multisite study conducted in four rural communities in two regions of northern Ghana. Participants: We conducted 16 semi-structured interviews and eight focus group discussions with community leaders and members, respectively. Results: Three major themes were identified: community perceptions, treatment options and community support for people with hypertension. Community perceptions about hypertension include hypertension perceived as excess blood in the body and associated with spiritual or witchcraft attacks. Traditional medicine is perceived to cure hypertension completely with concurrent use of biomedical and traditional medicines encouraged in rural communities. Community members did not consider themselves at risk of developing hypertension and reported having inadequate information on how to provide social support for hypertensive community members, which they attributed to low literacy and poverty. Conclusion: There is a substantial mismatch between communities’ perceptions and medical understanding of hypertension and its treatment. These perceptions partly result from structural factors and social norms shaped by collective processes and traditions that shape lay beliefs and influence individual health behaviour. Socioeconomic factors also thwart access to information and contribute to inadequate social support for persons with hypertension. These findings highlight the need for a public health approach to hypertension control targeting families and communities.BMJ Publishing Group2019201920182019info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion14 p.application/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2445/134606Articles publicats en revistes (ISGlobal)reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunyainstname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)InglésReproducció del document publicat a: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023451BMJ Open, 2018, vol. 8, num. 11http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023451cc by-nc (c) Nyaaba et al., 2018http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/es/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:recercat.cat:2445/1346062026-05-29T05:05:01Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Lay community perceptions and treatment options for hypertension in rural northern Ghana: a qualitative analysis
title Lay community perceptions and treatment options for hypertension in rural northern Ghana: a qualitative analysis
spellingShingle Lay community perceptions and treatment options for hypertension in rural northern Ghana: a qualitative analysis
Nyaaba, Gertrude Nsorma
Hipertensió
Ghana
Investigació qualitativa
Hypertension
Qualitative research
title_short Lay community perceptions and treatment options for hypertension in rural northern Ghana: a qualitative analysis
title_full Lay community perceptions and treatment options for hypertension in rural northern Ghana: a qualitative analysis
title_fullStr Lay community perceptions and treatment options for hypertension in rural northern Ghana: a qualitative analysis
title_full_unstemmed Lay community perceptions and treatment options for hypertension in rural northern Ghana: a qualitative analysis
title_sort Lay community perceptions and treatment options for hypertension in rural northern Ghana: a qualitative analysis
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Nyaaba, Gertrude Nsorma
Masana, Lina
Aikins, Ama de-Graft
Stronks, Karien
Agyemang, Charles
author Nyaaba, Gertrude Nsorma
author_facet Nyaaba, Gertrude Nsorma
Masana, Lina
Aikins, Ama de-Graft
Stronks, Karien
Agyemang, Charles
author_role author
author2 Masana, Lina
Aikins, Ama de-Graft
Stronks, Karien
Agyemang, Charles
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Hipertensió
Ghana
Investigació qualitativa
Hypertension
Qualitative research
topic Hipertensió
Ghana
Investigació qualitativa
Hypertension
Qualitative research
description Objective: Adherence to hypertension treatment is a major public health challenge for low and middle-income countries particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. One potential reason could be the discordance between lay and medical explanatory models of hypertension and its treatment. Understanding community perceptions and practices may contribute to improving hypertension control as they present insights into psychosocial and cultural factors that shape individual behaviour. We explore community perceptions regarding hypertension and its treatment in rural northern Ghana and how they differ from medical understanding. Design: This was a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions to collect data, which were analysed using a thematic approach. Setting: A multisite study conducted in four rural communities in two regions of northern Ghana. Participants: We conducted 16 semi-structured interviews and eight focus group discussions with community leaders and members, respectively. Results: Three major themes were identified: community perceptions, treatment options and community support for people with hypertension. Community perceptions about hypertension include hypertension perceived as excess blood in the body and associated with spiritual or witchcraft attacks. Traditional medicine is perceived to cure hypertension completely with concurrent use of biomedical and traditional medicines encouraged in rural communities. Community members did not consider themselves at risk of developing hypertension and reported having inadequate information on how to provide social support for hypertensive community members, which they attributed to low literacy and poverty. Conclusion: There is a substantial mismatch between communities’ perceptions and medical understanding of hypertension and its treatment. These perceptions partly result from structural factors and social norms shaped by collective processes and traditions that shape lay beliefs and influence individual health behaviour. Socioeconomic factors also thwart access to information and contribute to inadequate social support for persons with hypertension. These findings highlight the need for a public health approach to hypertension control targeting families and communities.
publishDate 2018
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2018
2019
2019
2019
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/2445/134606
url https://hdl.handle.net/2445/134606
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Reproducció del document publicat a: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023451
BMJ Open, 2018, vol. 8, num. 11
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023451
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv cc by-nc (c) Nyaaba et al., 2018
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/es/
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv cc by-nc (c) Nyaaba et al., 2018
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/es/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv 14 p.
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv BMJ Publishing Group
publisher.none.fl_str_mv BMJ Publishing Group
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Articles publicats en revistes (ISGlobal)
reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
instname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
instname_str Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
reponame_str Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
collection Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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