TY - JOUR
T1 - Lived experience of diet-related health education in type 2 diabetes and hypertension comorbidity in The Gambia
AU - Touray, Tahir Ahmad
AU - Woodall, James
AU - Warwick-Booth, Louise
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press.
PY - 2023/10/4
Y1 - 2023/10/4
N2 - The incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension (and their comorbidity) have been increasing in sub-Saharan Africa, including The Gambia. Diet is a critical driver of these public health problems, and diet-related health education is a major strategy employed for their prevention and management. The aim of this paper is to explore the lived experiences of diet-related health education among individuals with comorbid type 2 diabetes and hypertension in Serrekunda, The Gambia, a subject hitherto unexplored in the country. The study employed a qualitative (interpretivist) methodology. Thirty-two interviews were conducted with 18 participants, with most participating in two interviews at separate time-points between November 2018 and July 2019. In addition to participant validation, the two points in time interviews elicited more depth and provided rich data. The data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's six-phased approach to Thematic Analysis. Four main themes were generated in relation to the experiences: (i) one-off blanket dietary advice (ii) education in a vacuum (iii) diabetes-hypertension diet dichotomy and (iv) imbalanced power relationship. The study underscores the need for a reconfiguration of diet-related health education in The Gambia to include lived experiences as critical components of health promotion in tackling T2DM and hypertension. This requires an ecological approach, critical health education, regulations on unhealthy foods, and active participation of individuals as equal partners in health education.
AB - The incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension (and their comorbidity) have been increasing in sub-Saharan Africa, including The Gambia. Diet is a critical driver of these public health problems, and diet-related health education is a major strategy employed for their prevention and management. The aim of this paper is to explore the lived experiences of diet-related health education among individuals with comorbid type 2 diabetes and hypertension in Serrekunda, The Gambia, a subject hitherto unexplored in the country. The study employed a qualitative (interpretivist) methodology. Thirty-two interviews were conducted with 18 participants, with most participating in two interviews at separate time-points between November 2018 and July 2019. In addition to participant validation, the two points in time interviews elicited more depth and provided rich data. The data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's six-phased approach to Thematic Analysis. Four main themes were generated in relation to the experiences: (i) one-off blanket dietary advice (ii) education in a vacuum (iii) diabetes-hypertension diet dichotomy and (iv) imbalanced power relationship. The study underscores the need for a reconfiguration of diet-related health education in The Gambia to include lived experiences as critical components of health promotion in tackling T2DM and hypertension. This requires an ecological approach, critical health education, regulations on unhealthy foods, and active participation of individuals as equal partners in health education.
KW - diet-related
KW - health education
KW - hypertension
KW - lived experience
KW - type 2 diabetes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85173025069&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/heapro/daad125
DO - 10.1093/heapro/daad125
M3 - Article
C2 - 37791594
AN - SCOPUS:85173025069
SN - 0957-4824
VL - 38
JO - Health Promotion International
JF - Health Promotion International
IS - 5
M1 - daad125
ER -