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Poverty and health among CDC plantation labourers in Cameroon: Perceptions, challenges and coping strategies
- Source :
- PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 11, Iss 11, p e0006100 (2017), PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 11 (2017) 11, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 11(11), International Journal of Infectious Diseases, Vol 101, Iss, Pp 307-308 (2020)
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2017.
-
Abstract
- Creating better access to good quality healthcare for the poor is a major challenge to development. In this study, we examined inter-linkages between poverty and disease, referred to as poverty-related diseases (PRDs), by investigating how Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) camp dwellers respond to diseases that adversely affect their health and wellbeing. Living in plantation camps is associated with poverty, overcrowding, poor sanitation and the rapid spread of diseases. In a survey of 237 CDC camp dwellers in Cameroon, we used the health belief model to understand the drivers (perceived threats, benefits and cues for treatment seeking) of reported responses. Using logistic regression analysis, we looked for trends in people’s response to malaria. We calculated the odds ratio of factors shown to have an influence on people’s health, such as food, water, sanitation challenges and seeking formal healthcare for malaria. Malaria (40.3%), cholera (20.8%) and diarrhoea (17.7%) were the major PRDs perceived by camp dwellers. We found a strong link between what respondents perceived as PRDS and hygiene conditions. Poverty for our respondents was more about living in poor hygiene conditions than lack of money. Respondents perceived health challenges as stemming from their immediate living environment. Moreover, people employed self-medication and other informal health practices to seek healthcare. Interestingly, even though respondents reported using formal healthcare services as a general response to illness (84%), almost 90% stated that, in the case of malaria, they would use informal healthcare services. Our study recommends that efforts to curb the devastating effects of PRDs should have a strong focus on perceptions (i.e. include diseases that people living in conditions of poverty perceive as PRDs) and on hygiene practices, emphasising how they can be improved. By providing insights into the inter-linkages between poverty and disease, our study offers relevant guidance for potentially successful health promotion interventions.<br />Author summary Poverty is a condition that increases disease risks and presents severe health challenges. The negative impact of poverty on health is well understood, but much less is known about how people living in poor conditions themselves perceive health challenges and how they try to overcome these challenges. We studied a group of Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) plantation workers, living in housing provided by the company, known as camps. Living conditions in plantation camps are characterised by small and very basic housing, shared toilet facilities and overall poor sanitation. In the camps, water sources were public taps found in strategic areas. During water cuts, camp dwellers used streams as their water sources. Water was treated at CDC management level. We questioned 237 labourers (or dependants) on matters related to their health. Malaria, cholera and diarrhoea were reported as the main diseases that they associated with poverty. Our results also show that the labourers associated poverty primarily with the poor state of their living conditions rather than with not having money. Even though CDC offered free healthcare, camp dwellers relied on self-treatment and unofficial medication, especially for malaria for which almost 90% of the workers did not use the free services. Therefore, for interventions to be successful, they should include people’s perceptions and focus on improving hygiene conditions.
- Subjects :
- Male
Bacterial Diseases
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Sanitation
WASS
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Occupational safety and health
Geographical Locations
0302 clinical medicine
Cholera
Hygiene
Surveys and Questionnaires
Health care
Medicine and Health Sciences
Health belief model
Medicine
Public and Occupational Health
Sociology
030212 general & internal medicine
Cameroon
Socioeconomics
Gezondheid en Maatschappij
media_common
Farmers
lcsh:Public aspects of medicine
General Medicine
Overcrowding
Middle Aged
Socioeconomic Aspects of Health
Health and Society
Infectious Diseases
Technologie and Innovatie
Knowledge Technology and Innovation
Kennis
Female
0305 other medical science
Environmental Health
Research Article
Neglected Tropical Diseases
Microbiology (medical)
Adult
Diarrhea
lcsh:Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
Adolescent
lcsh:RC955-962
media_common.quotation_subject
Gastroenterology and Hepatology
lcsh:Infectious and parasitic diseases
03 medical and health sciences
Young Adult
Signs and Symptoms
Diagnostic Medicine
Perception
Environmental health
Parasitic Diseases
Life Science
Humans
Tuberculosis
lcsh:RC109-216
Poverty
030505 public health
business.industry
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
lcsh:RA1-1270
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Tropical Diseases
Malaria
Health Care
Health promotion
Socioeconomic Factors
People and Places
Africa
Patient Care
business
Kennis, Technologie and Innovatie
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19352735 and 19352727
- Volume :
- 11
- Issue :
- 11
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....91d713e443f1bdb639742e54d65b04cc