Health-seeking behaviour and beliefs around sore throat in The Gambia: a qualitative study

Author:

Sans Maria SuauORCID,Manneh Muhammed,Ceesay Isatou,Bittaye Amat,de Crombrugghe GabrielleORCID,Keeley Alexander J,de Silva Thushan I.,Palmer JenniferORCID,Armitage Edwin P.ORCID,Marks Michael

Abstract

AbstractGroup AStreptococcus(StrepA) bacteria causes a broad spectrum of diseases. The most common manifestations of StrepA infection are sore throat and pus-producing skin infections such as impetigo. Complications of StrepA infection lead to inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs causing acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). In The Gambia, the RHD burden is thought to be very high. However, epidemiological data is minimal, and StrepA control programmes do not exist. This study aims to explore common beliefs and practices related to sore throats among primary caregivers of children, and healthcare providers in a community with a high StrepA disease burden. This will inform the design of preventative strategies for StrepA-related sequelae.Four informal conversations with providers and fifteen semi-structured interviews with caregivers were conducted in the peri-urban area of Sukuta, The Gambia. Sampling was purposive and gradual, beginning from households identified to have recently experienced sore throat through a parallel cohort study. Themes explored in qualitative analysis included: sore throat causal attributions and diagnoses, care practises, health-seeking behaviour, and perceived barriers to using the biomedical sector.Sore throats were typically perceived to affect one child in a family, disproportionately or exclusively. Sore throats are rarely perceived as life-threatening, and awareness of links between sore throat and ARF or RHD was not reported among caregivers or providers in this study population. Most cases of sore throat are initially managed at home using traditional medicine which delays resort to antibiotics, though in two instances of severe pain with the presence of exudate, fear that the child’s life was at risk prompted care-seeking through the formal health system.Our findings can inform the development of tailored strategies to increase community knowledge of the potential long-term consequences of sore throats and appropriate care-seeking, alongside improvements in the health system, to prevent StrepA sequelae effectively.

Publisher

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Reference24 articles.

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3