Poverty and illness : socio-economic factors influencing the health-seeking behaviour of TB patients in West Africa (the Gambia)

Abstract

This study addresses the social, cultural, and economic components of TB control by tendering a broadened perspective of disease management that complements and enhances current biomedical protocols. Through semi-structured interviews it was possible to examine the socio-economic influences that direct the health-seeking behaviour of TB patients and explore the economic consequences of ill-health for patients and their families. By adopting a social role as a volunteer instructor with a local peer health education programme, an additional objective encompassed the promotion of TB prevention and education in rural and urban communities in the Gambia. This rapid assessment could be used with other social science research as a foundation for modifying current TB protocols to better suit the needs of the patients and their families. The findings presented here underscore the need for wider multidisciplinary perspectives that include the holistic experience of illness for vulnerable populations.