Luginaah Isaac, Dakubo Crescentia
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave., Ont., N9B 3P4 Windsor, Canada.
Soc Sci Med. 2003 Nov;57(9):1747-60. doi: 10.1016/s0277-9536(03)00014-5.
This paper is part of a larger project on the consumption of a locally made alcohol, akpeteshie, and its impact on the health and well-being of the people in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The paper reports the findings of a qualitative study using focus group discussions about community perceptions and impacts of akpeteshie. Focus groups were undertaken differently for men (n=25) and women (n=20), and the contents were analysed using grounded theory and from a social learning perspective. Participants indicated that both the elderly and the young were engaged in the use and abuse of akpeteshie. Men drink mainly for coping responses, such as, increased self-confidence, adult status, and to cope with the various social demands. Women seem to drink for socialising with peers. Akpeteshie drinking by both men and women is on the rise, and is increasingly used for sexual abuse and rape. The findings reveal strong perceptions of the health and economic damage that alcohol is having on the people of the area; and the need for policy intervention that not only target health promotion, but an improvement of the socioeconomic conditions of the people and the akpeteshie vendors in the region.
本文是一个关于当地酿造的酒精饮料阿可佩泰西（akpeteshie）的消费及其对加纳上西部地区人民健康和福祉影响的更大项目的一部分。本文报告了一项定性研究的结果，该研究通过焦点小组讨论来探讨社区对阿可佩泰西的认知及其影响。针对男性（n = 25）和女性（n = 20）分别开展了不同的焦点小组讨论，并运用扎根理论从社会学习的角度对内容进行了分析。参与者表示，老年人和年轻人都存在使用和滥用阿可佩泰西的情况。男性饮酒主要是为了应对一些情况，比如增强自信、获得成人身份以及应对各种社会需求。女性饮酒似乎主要是为了与同龄人社交。男性和女性饮用阿可佩泰西的情况都在增加，并且它越来越多地被用于性侵犯和强奸。研究结果揭示了人们对酒精给该地区人民带来的健康和经济损害有着强烈的认知；以及需要进行政策干预，不仅要针对健康促进，还要改善该地区人民以及阿可佩泰西供应商的社会经济状况。
