Medical Anthropology in Africa: The Trouble with a Single Story

In the growing number of publications in medical anthropology about sub-Saharan Africa, there is a tendency to tell a single story of medicine, health, and health-seeking behavior. The heavy reliance on telling this singular story means that there is very little exposure to other stories. In this article, I draw on five books published in the past five years to illustrate the various components that make up this dominant narrative. I then provide examples of two accounts about medicine, health, and health-seeking behavior in Africa that deviate from this dominant narrative, in order to show the themes that alternative accounts have foregrounded. Ultimately, I make a plea to medical anthropologists to be mindful of the existence of this singular story and to resist the tendency to use its components as scaffolding in their accounts of medicine, health, and health-seeking behavior in Africa.     

A perception-based study to explore COVID-19 pandemic stress and its factors in Bangladesh

Background and aimsWorldwide the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated sufferings of mental health and behaviour attitudes of people. Many countries, including Bangladesh, reported suicide as extreme consequences of the psychological burden influenced by COVID-19. The present study explores human stress and its factor influenced by COVID-19 in Bangladesh, which significantly affect the quality of life.MethodsAn online-based questionnaire survey was conducted among 651 adult Bangladeshi populations by capturing socio-demographic information, possible human stress, and consequences of the pandemic. A set of statistical tools such as Pearson's Correlation Matrix (PCM), T-test, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) were applied to identify the relationship between different factors and influential factors increasing human stress.ResultsMore than 83% of the participants are facing COVID-19 related mental stress, which results in short temper, sleep disorder, and family chaos. PCA and HCA outcomes indicated a significant relationship between the respondents' opinions and human stress factors, which harmonized with the country's existing scenario. PCM results enlighten the relationship between human stress factors and found financial hardship, cutting back daily spending, and food crisis are interconnected together causes stress. Also, hampering students' formal education and future career plans significantly contribute to mental stress.ConclusionBased on the above findings, it's crucial to introduce a time-oriented strategy and implement precaution monitoring plans for Bangladesh. The rescue plan will help people to manage the pandemic and improve mental health to fight against psychological challenges related to COVID-19 and future pandemics.     

学龄前儿童心理行为问题与家长健康素养的关系

目的探讨家长健康素养与学龄前儿童心理行为问题的关系,为学龄前儿童心理行为问题早期干预提供参考。方法 2018年5-7月采用分层整群随机抽样的方法,抽取深圳市光明区13所幼儿园4 120名学龄前儿童及其家长,使用长处与困难问卷(SDQ)家长版和深圳市居民健康素养问卷分别对学龄前儿童心理行为问题及家长健康素养水平进行调查;采用非条件Logistic回归分析家长健康素养与儿童心理行为问题的关系。结果学龄前儿童心理行为问题检出率为34.9%(1 436/4 120)。其中困难总分6.5%、情绪问题5.6%、品行问题8.9%、多动注意不能13.4%、同伴交往问题14.4%、亲社会行为9.2%。男童和女童困难总分、情绪问题、品行问题、多动注意不能、同伴交往问题、亲社会行为检出率分别为7.3%和5.5%,4.8%和6.5%,9.7%和7.8%,15.5%和10.7%,15.8%和12.7%,11.1%和6.7%,差异有统计学意义(χ^2值分别为5.626,5.506,4.212,19.846,7.650,23.863,P<0.05)。多因素Logistic回归分析显示,家长健康素养(OR=1.294)、健康知识(OR=1.293)、健康行为(OR=1.412)及健康技能(OR=1.193)水平低是学龄前儿童心理行为问题产生的危险因素(P<0.05)。结论学龄前儿童心理行为问题发生率较高,问题突出,家长健康素养水平低是学龄前儿童心理行为问题的重要影响因素。     

Assessing perceived quality of primary care under hospital-township health centre integration: A cross-sectional study in China

Since the new round of health care reform in 2009, the vertical integration of hospitals and primary health institutions has become widely implemented in China as an efficient method for improving quality of primary care. This study aimed to answer the following questions: (a) What is the perceived quality of township health centres (THCs) under integration? (B) What differences could be observed among the three typical integration models, namely, private hospital-THC integration, public hospital-THC integration, and loose collaboration? Two rounds of cross-sectional surveys were conducted from November 2016 to June 2018. The Chinese version of the Primary Care Assessment Tool was used to evaluate perceived quality of sample THCs, and 1118 adult patients were interviewed in total. Multiple linear regressions were employed to compare the quality scores between two survey rounds and among different integration models after controlling for potential confounders. The results revealed that the quality of care significantly improved under private hospital-THC integration as observed by comparing two survey rounds, while no change or slight changes were observed in the other two models. The difference observed among the three models was that the perceived quality of THCs integrated with private hospitals was worse than that of THCs integrated with public hospitals and THCs under loose collaboration, while no significant difference was observed between public hospital-THC integration and loose collaboration. Increased attention should be given to highlighting the tight integration between hospitals and THCs and the different roles played by private and public hospitals in the current reform.     

Preparing IR for COVID-19: The Singapore Experience

This paper describes country-wide special measures undertaken for interventional radiology staff during the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Although each interventional radiology service around the world faces unique challenges, the principles outlined in this article will be useful when designing or strengthening individual practices and integrating them within wider hospital and national measures. Moving beyond the current outbreak, these measures will be useful for any future infectious diseases which are likely to arise.     

The interaction between pain and movement

Study DesignClinical commentary.Introduction/PurposePain and movement are universally relevant phenomena that influence human experiences in readily observable ways. Improved understanding of pain-movement relationships can guide medical and rehabilitative approaches to recovery and decrease risk of dysfunctional long-term consequences of otherwise normal neuromuscular responses. Therefore, the overall intent of this article is to elucidate the relationships between pain and movement as they relate to clinical decision making.ConclusionsMotor output is highly adaptable, can be influenced by multiple mechanisms at various levels along the nervous system, and may vary between individuals despite similar diagnoses. Therefore, interventions need to be individualized and consider both the types of motor response observed (ie, whether the response is protective or maladaptive), and the patient's acute physical activity tolerance when prescribing exercise/movement.