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- Eid Rodríguez, Daniel V., 1980-
(författare)
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The rough journey to access health care : the case of leishmaniasis in the Bolivian rainforest
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infectious disease transmitted by vectors that cause three main clinical syndromes: cutaneous (CL), mucosal (ML), and visceral (VL). Since VL is not relevant to this thesis, only CL and ML will be further discussed. Leishmaniasis is present in 98 countries, with more than 350 million people at risk of infection. Leishmaniasis disproportionately affects poor countries and, in particular, remote areas where health services are weaker. Bolivia, a lower-middle-income country, is the fifth country with more cases in Latin America, and case detection and management is the main control strategy of the National Leishmaniasis Control Programme (NLCP). The NLCP provides free treatment to patients, which consists of systemic pentavalent antimonials (SPA) for 20 days. This treatment is highly toxic for patients and costly for the government, resulting in long periods of shortage of the drug. A good alternative to SPA is the use of intralesional pentavalent antimonials (ILPA), which are safer and have similar efficacy to SPA in treating CL. Case detection and management depend on a well-structured health-care system, and the primary level of care is responsible for this task in Bolivian endemic areas. It is well known that health-care access for leishmaniasis patients is limited but the extent and the determinant factors of this problem are unknown. The aim of this thesis is to assess health-care access among patients with leishmaniasis in a Bolivian rainforest rural area, addressing four specific questions: Who is most vulnerable to CL?; What is the extent of their lack of access to health care?; How do the dimensions of access and the quality of care influence health-care utilization in a context of vulnerability?; and how can a change in NLCP policy related to the treatment of CL improve the level of access to health care?Methods: This thesis is based on four studies that use quantitative and qualitative methods. Data collection was conducted through surveys, in-depth interviews and revision of official documents. Sub-study 1 was based on a cross-sectional study conducted in two communities of Cochabamba and assessed risk factors for CL using multivariate analysis. Sub-study 2 used the method of capture−recapture to assess the level of under-reporting of the national register for the period of 2013−2014, using Chapman’s formula. Sub-study 3 was conducted through in-depth interviews applied to 14 participants, using thematic analysis. Sub-study 4 was an economic evaluation that used data from surveys with physicians, official documents and key informants and compared the costs of systemic pentavalent antimonials (SPA) and intralesional pentavalent antimonials (ILPA) from the perspective of the Ministry of Health (MoH) and society. Additionally, a budget impact analysis of the implementation of ILPA in hypothetical scenarios of increasing level of demand was carried out.Main findings: Sub-study 1 showed that gender/sex was the only statistically significant factor associated with CL, with men being the most affected group. Other classical factors, such as animal ownership, house materials and protective measures were, however, not related to CL. Sub-study 2 revealed a high level of under-reporting (73%) of CL in the study area, and this under-reporting was higher among men compared to women. Sub-study 3 showed that the lack of availability, accessibility, affordability and quality of care were the main factors that limited the access to care of CL and ML patients. In sub-study 4, the economic analysis pointed out that the use of ILPA was cost-saving for the MoH and society, and the budget analysis confirmed that the implementation of ILPA as first-line treatment was not only cost-saving for the MoH, but it would also increase the number of patients accessing the treatment.Conclusions: The predominance of a sylvatic pattern of transmission, with men as the most affected group, demands new approaches to prevention related to occupational activities. The NLCP policy related to case management has been essential to reducing economic barriers for patients with leishmaniasis; however, there are still a considerable amount of cases who do not have access to the treatment. Lacko f health services, equipment and drugs, as well as difficulties in reaching health services, the high costs of seeking health care and the low quality of care are important factors that must be addressed to fulfil the right to health care for these patients. Finally, new therapeutic alternatives, such as ILPA, must be considered to reduce problems of affordability, adherence, as well as side effects to the treatment. This information can be used to develop targeted interventions aimed at increasing the access to health care of people with leishmaniasis in the rainforest of Bolivia.
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- Gangane, Nitin, 1961-
(författare)
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Breast cancer in rural India : knowledge, attitudes, practices; delays to care and quality of life
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Cancer is a major public health problem globally. The incidence of cancer is increasing rapidly in many low- and middle-income countries like India due to the epidemiological transition. At present, breast cancer is the leading cancer in females in many countries including India. In spite of all of the epidemiological evidence pointing towards a surge in breast cancer cases, the National Cancer Control Programme of India has not yet taken sufficient measures to understand the disease burden and to plan a course of action to cope with the increasing cancer burden. Aim: The aim of this thesis is to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding breast cancer in a predominantly rural district of central India along with identifying the determinants of delays to care and quality of life (QoL) in breast cancer patients. This understanding may help to strengthen the health system by improving breast cancer control and management programmes and the delivery of care.Methods: This thesis combines findings from two cross-sectional studies in the predominantly rural district of Wardha. The first study was a population-based crosssectional survey conducted on 1000 women, in which face-to-face interviews were conducted with the help of a questionnaire covering demographic and socio-economic information, knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding breast cancer screening and breast cancer. The Chi-square test for proportions and t-test for means were used and multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to study the association between socio-demographic factors and knowledge, attitude and practices. The second study was a patient-based cross-sectional study conducted in 212 breast cancer patients. All 212 breast cancer patients were included for patient delay. However, 208 female breast cancer patients could be included for system delay, quality of life and self-efficacy, as there was some information lacking in 4 patients. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, patient and system delays and also reasons for the delays were collected. The study also utilised WHOQOL–BREF for QoL and selfefficacy measurements in breast cancer patients. Socio-demographic determinants were examined by frequencies and means and multivariable logistic and linear regression analysis to assess the relationship between exposure and outcome variables.Results: One third of the respondents had not heard about breast cancer, and more than 90% of women from both rural and semi-urban areas were not aware of breast self-examination. Patient delay of more than 3 months was observed in almost half of participants, while a system delay of more than 12 weeks was seen in 23% of the breast cancer patients. The late clinical stage of the disease was also significantly associated with patient delay. The most common reason for patient delay was painlessness of the breast lump. Incorrect initial diagnosis or late reference for diagnosis were the most common reasons for diagnostic delay while the high cost of treatment was the most common reason for treatment delay. Self-efficacy was positively associated with QoL, after adjusting for socio-demographic factors, patient delay and clinical stage of disease.Conclusions: Our research showed poor awareness and knowledge about breast cancer, its symptoms and risk factors in women in rural India. Breast self-examination was hardly practiced, although the willingness to learn was high. Although The ideal is to have no delay in diagnosis and treatment, diagnostic and treatment delays observed in the study were not much higher than those reported in the literature, even from countries with good health facilities. However, further research is needed to identify access barriers throughout the process of cancer diagnosis and treatment. The quality of life was moderately good and its strong relationship with self-efficacy makes these two dimensions of breast cancer patients relevant enough to be considered for health workers and policy makers in the future.Interventions focused on improving breast awareness in women and the breast cancer continuum of care should be implemented at a district level. The role of community social health activists in breast cancer prevention should be encouraged and the implementation of an operational national breast cancer program is urgently required.
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- Gebrehiwet, Tesfay Gebregzabher, 1966-
(författare)
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No woman should die while giving life : Does the Health Extension Program improveaccess to maternal health services in Tigray, Ethiopia?
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Introduction: Ensuring access to universal primary health care is essential to secure a safe and pleasant motherhood and to provide compassionate care for mothers and newborns.However, inequalities in the access to maternal health services still remain a prominent problem in many countries. As part of reducing inequalities, Ethiopia launched the Health Extension Program (HEP) in 2003. The HEP is a community based program designed with a defined package of essential promotive, preventive and basic curative services targeting households, particularly mothers and children. Despite the construction of over 600 health posts and deploying more than 1200 Health Extension Workers (HEWs), preliminary data suggests a low utilization of maternal health care services. This thesis explores the HEP contribution in improving women’s access to maternal health care, and the reasons for the low use of maternal health care services from the perspectives of the involved actors in the Tigray region in Ethiopia. The five dimensions of access were used as a framework to explore the access to maternal health care utilization in this setting.Methods: A total of four districts were included in the study. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were applied. In the first sub-study, we assessed the HEP and its association with change in the utilization of antenatal, delivery and postnatal care services. Retrospective longitudinal data for 10 years was extracted from three selected districts and checked for accuracy. Segmented linear regression technique was used to control the secular trends adjusted for correlation of the data. For the second sub-study, we conducted a cross sectional survey with 1115 women (aged 15-49 years who had given birth within five years prior to the survey period) to determine the prevalence of antenatal care and institutional delivery utilization and explore their determinant factors of low utilization. For the third sub-study, we conducted six focus group discussions (FGDs) with a total of 51 women to explore women’s experiences of childbirth and maternal care. An interview with eight HEWs and four midwives were carried out to capture health workers’ perspective on access to maternal health care services in the fourth sub-study. Grounded theory for the former, and thematic analysis for the latter were used for the analysis.Main findings: The finding of the first sub-study showed a statistically significant upward trend for delivery care (DC) and postnatal care (PNC) in all facilities during the HEP late implementation period (July 2008-June 2012). In addition, a substantial trend of antenatal care (ANC) service use was observed at health centres after the intervention. In the second sub-study, the determinant predictors for ANC utilization were: proximity to health facilities, to be married, ≥5 years of education and having non-farming husbands. The last three factors were also significantly associated with institutional delivery, but also lower parity, previous history of obstructed/prolonged labour and ANC counselling. Findings from the qualitative studies pointed out that elderly women influenced women’s decision making about where to give birth. Women were mostly positive about giving birth at health facilities, but were concerned about the poor quality of care, inaccessibility and unavailability of transport. From the health workers’ perspective: specialized performance of hospital services, community assistance during referral and an increased awareness among women regarding the benefits of giving birth at a health facility were perceived as facilitators for institutional deliveries. Poor perceived competence of HEWs, poor conditions of health care facilities and inaccessibility of transportation, among others, were perceived as barriers for giving birth at health facilities.Conclusion: Overall, this research revealed a considerable contribution of the HEP in improving the access and coverage of maternal health services (ANC, DC and PNC). However, cultural traditions, scattered localities, mountainous roads without adequate transportation and low quality of care are still the major obstacles to accessing the services. Mechanisms need to be designed to enable health facility access of safe delivery for women in hard to reach areas, improving the proficiency of health workers and introducing a women centered approach that enhances acceptability of the services.
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| 4. |
- Mathias, Kaaren, 1969-
(författare)
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Shadows and light : examining community mental health competence in North India
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- BackgroundGlobally, there is increasing emphasis on the importance of understanding the ways in which social inequality and injustice impact individual and community mental health. Set in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, India, this thesis examines the complex relationships between individuals, communities and the social environment in relation to mental health. North India is characterised by stark gender and socio-economic inequalities and social exclusion for people with psycho-social disability (PPSD) and mental health services in these study areas were essentially absent. Community mental health competency means people are collectively able to participate in efforts to promote, prevent, treat and advocate for mental health. This thesis reflexively examines the presence and absence of community mental health competence in the upper Ganges region.MethodsA mixed methods approach allowed for a multi-level examination of community mental health competence, and generated four sub-studies. In-depth interviews with thirteen PPSD and eighteen caregivers in Bijnor and Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh state) were carried out in 2013 providing data for qualitative analysis. These data were analysed using qualitative content analysis to examine experiences of exclusion and inclusion of PPSD in sub-study I, and thematic analysis to examine the gendered experiences of caregivers in sub-study II. A community based sample of 960 people in Dehradun district (Uttarakhand) were surveyed in 2014 to examine the prevalence, treatment gap and social determinants of depression in substudy III, and the attitudes and preferred social distance from people with depression and psychosis were investigated in sub-study IV. Multi-variate regression analysis in both studies was conducted with Stata software Version 13.1.ResultsWithin the domain of knowledge, relatively low community mental health literacy, a diverse range of explanatory models of mental health, and creative and persistent efforts in helpseeking were the themes identified. Within the domain of safe social spaces, social exclusion was harsh and prevalent for PPSD, with contrasting sub-domains of belonging, social support, social participation and ahimsa (non-violence). Women were disadvantaged more than men in most spheres of caregiving.Social determinants of depression with an adjusted odds ratio of more than 2.0 included being a member of the most oppressed caste or tribal group, having taken a recent loan, and not completing primary schooling. The prevalence of depression was 6.0% in the community sample, and there was a 100% treatment gap for counselling, and a 96% treatment gap for anti-depressant therapy, even though 79% of those with depression had visited a primary care provider in the previous three months. Social determinants of health and access to care are proposed as additional domains of community mental health competency. The prevailing gender regime that values males and disadvantages women influenced every domain of community mental health competency, particularly increasing caregiver burden, social exclusion and experiences of physical violence for women. ConclusionsIn this thesis I have refined and strengthened a conceptual framework that portrays community mental health competence as a tree, where foundational roots of social determinants of mental health support four branches depicting access to care, knowledge, safe social spaces and partnerships for action. This tree model proposes that all five domains must operate in unison to support action for community mental health involving: development of community knowledge; promoting social inclusion, gender equality and participation; addressing upstream health determinants; and increasing access to mental health care.
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