Department of Governance and Public Administration, University of Rwanda, Butare, Rwanda.
School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being. 2024 Dec;19(1):2350729. doi: 10.1080/17482631.2024.2350729. Epub 2024 May 9.
Suburbanization has become a major characteristic of urban development in sub-Saharan Africa, and shifting from agricultural-based areas modus vivendi to urban lifestyles affects subjective wellbeing of the original settlers. While there is lack of evidence in the literature of wellbeing in these areas, this study examines life satisfaction of these populations by means of individuals' own appreciation and evaluation of quality of life.
The study uses interpretionist and reflexive approaches, and analyses 76 interviews conducted through snowball sampling in two major suburbanized areas. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
Generally, the findings show that respondents are satisfied with material living conditions due to improvement of availability of economic opportunities, roads and other transport services, social and community support. However, income inequality and urban poverty result in the inability to afford modern and high-quality urban living conditions, which creates feelings of vulnerability while limiting social relationships.
There is a need to strenghten existing frameworks to fully respond to urban life requirements that relate to transport, education, hygiene, and sanitation services. It is also important to develop support systems that mitigate issues of gender discrimination, human rights, household decision-making, fashion, and cultural norms.
郊区化已成为撒哈拉以南非洲城市发展的主要特征，从以农业为基础的生活方式向城市生活方式转变，这影响了原有定居者的主观幸福感。尽管文献中缺乏这些地区幸福感的证据，但本研究通过个人对生活质量的自我欣赏和评价来考察这些人群的生活满意度。
本研究采用解释主义和反思性方法，通过雪球抽样在两个主要郊区化地区进行了 76 次访谈。采用主题分析对数据进行分析。
总体而言，调查结果表明，由于经济机会、道路和其他交通服务、社会和社区支持的增加，受访者对物质生活条件感到满意。然而，收入不平等和城市贫困导致无法负担现代和高质量的城市生活条件，这在限制社会关系的同时造成了脆弱感。
需要加强现有框架，以充分应对与交通、教育、卫生和环境卫生服务相关的城市生活需求。还必须制定支持系统，以减轻性别歧视、人权、家庭决策、时尚和文化规范等问题。
