Community perceptions of health and chronic disease in South Indian rural transitional communities: a qualitative study

Abstract

BackgroundChronic diseases are now the leading cause of death and disability worldwide; this epidemic has been linked to rapid economic growth and urbanisation in developing countries. Understanding how characteristics of the physical, social, and economic environment affect behaviour in the light of these changes is key to identifying successful interventions to mitigate chronic disease risk.DesignWe undertook a qualitative study consisting of nine focus group discussions (FGDs) (n=57) in five villages in rural Andhra Pradesh, South India, to understand people's perceptions of community development and urbanisation in relation to chronic disease in rural transitional communities. Specifically, we sought to understand perceptions of change linked to diet, physical activity, and pollution (because these exposures are most relevant to chronic diseases), with the aim of defining future interventions. The transcripts were analysed thematically.ResultsParticipants believed their communities were currently less healthy, more polluted, less physically active, and had poorer access to nutritious food and shorter life expectancies than previously. There were contradictory perceptions of the effects of urbanisation on health within and between individuals; several of the participants felt their quality of life had been reduced.ConclusionsIn the present study, residents viewed change and development within their villages as an inevitable and largely positive process but with some negative health consequences. Understanding how these changes are affecting populations in transitional rural areas and how people relate to their environment may be useful to guide community planning for health. Measures to educate and empower people to make healthy choices within their community may help reduce the spread of chronic disease risk factors in future years.

Burden, determinants, consequences and care of multimorbidity in rural and urbanising Telangana, India: protocol for a mixed-methods study within the APCAPS cohort

“…The full protocol consists of questionnaires, a physical examination and collection of urine and fasting blood samples. The screened conditions were selected based on their reported prevalence in India and their importance to the local community 27–30. We are screening for chronic diseases with a combination of self-reported diagnosis by a healthcare professional, symptom-based questionnaires, physical examinations and biochemical assays, in order to overcome the socioeconomic bias observed when classifying conditions by prior clinical diagnosis in rural India8 (table 1).…”

“…The screened conditions were selected based on their reported prevalence in India and their importance to the local community. [27][28][29][30] We are screening for chronic diseases with a combination of self-reported diagnosis by a healthcare professional, symptom-based questionnaires, physical examinations and biochemical assays, in order to overcome the socioeconomic bias observed when classifying conditions by prior clinical diagnosis in rural India 8 (table 1). The questionnaires cover sociodemographics, behavioural risk factors, selfreported clinical diagnosis of chronic conditions, treatment details, symptom-based screening tools and impact measures (eg, quality of life).…”

Efeitos da plataforma vibratória no equilíbrio, atividade eletromiográfica e propriocepção de idosos

“…O avanço da idade é, geralmente, acompanhado pelo declínio das funções biológicas, físico-motoras e cognitivas, com maior incidência de agravos à saúde, sendo assim, ainda que sem doenças crônicas, o processo de envelhecimento envolve perdas funcionais, exigindo que o cuidado com o idoso seja idealizado de maneira diferente do que é realizado com adultos jovens (Hayter et al, 2015;Veras & Oliveira, 2018).…”

A influência da atividade física na qualidade de vida de idosas

“…O aumento do tempo de vida está relacionado à senilidade com níveis de saúde e condições de vida satisfatórias na perspectiva do envelhecimento com qualidade de vida. O avanço da idade é, geralmente, acompanhado pelo declínio das funções biológicas, físicas/ motoras e cognitivas, com maior incidência e agravos à saúde 3 , colocando os idosos numa condição de vulnerabilidade 4 . Em vista disso, na tentativa de minimizar o impacto do processo de envelhecimento na vida diária dos idosos, surgem grupos de convivência que proporcionam programas de envelhecimento ativo, alternativa estimulada em todo o Brasil 5 .…”