Kiawi Emmanuel, Edwards Richard, Shu Joseph, Unwin Nigel, Kamadjeu Raoul, Mbanya Jean Claude
Health of Population in Transition Research Group (HoPiT) Cameroon, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, PO Box 8046, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Ethn Dis. 2006 Spring;16(2):503-9.
Diabetes, obesity, and physical inactivity are common in urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper reports an investigation of lay knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors relating to diabetes and its main risk factors of urban Cameroonians. We carried out a qualitative study in four urban health districts, one from each of the main ecological areas of Cameroon. Participants were purposively selected to include a range of community key participants and articulate community members. Data were collected through in-depth interviews by using a pre-tested, semi-structured interview guide. Sixty-two interviews were conducted across the four sites. Awareness of diabetes and knowledge of its causes, clinical course, and complications were limited. Many participants believed diabetes was caused by excessive sugar consumption rather than excessive energy intake, obesity, or physical inactivity. Obesity, particularly in men, was largely perceived positively as a sign of "good living." Many participants underestimated the degree to which they were overweight. Physical activity was mostly viewed positively, although negative views were common about simple methods of increasing physical activity, such as walking. Several constraints to the adoption of healthy behaviors were identified. For diet, these included lack of knowledge of the composition of a healthy diet. Barriers to undertaking more physical activity included lack of facilities and inadequate time available. The results indicate the need for health education about diabetes and its main risk factors in these communities. Health education should be informed by lay perspectives to maximize the appropriateness of the messages and their effect on knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.
糖尿病、肥胖症和缺乏身体活动在撒哈拉以南非洲的城市地区很常见。本文报告了一项对喀麦隆城市居民关于糖尿病及其主要危险因素的常识、态度和行为的调查。我们在喀麦隆四个主要生态区域各选一个城市健康区开展了一项定性研究。参与者是经过有目的地挑选，包括一系列社区关键参与者和能清晰表达观点的社区成员。通过使用预先测试的半结构化访谈指南进行深入访谈来收集数据。在四个地点共进行了62次访谈。对糖尿病的认识及其病因、临床病程和并发症的了解有限。许多参与者认为糖尿病是由过量摄入糖分而非过量能量摄入、肥胖或缺乏身体活动引起的。肥胖，尤其是男性的肥胖，在很大程度上被视为 “生活优渥” 的标志。许多参与者低估了自己超重的程度。身体活动大多被积极看待，不过对于增加身体活动的简单方法，如步行，负面看法很常见。确定了采用健康行为的若干制约因素。在饮食方面，这些因素包括对健康饮食构成缺乏了解。进行更多身体活动的障碍包括缺乏设施和可用时间不足。结果表明在这些社区需要开展关于糖尿病及其主要危险因素的健康教育。健康教育应考虑到普通民众的观点，以使信息的恰当性及其对知识、态度和行为的影响最大化。
