Identifying Barriers and Facilitators for Home Reconstruction for Prevention of Chagas Disease: An Interview Study in Rural Loja Province, Ecuador

Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease

article

Benjamin R. Bates¹  Majo Carrasco-Tenezaca⁴  Angela M. Mendez-Trivino²  Luis E. Mendoza²  Claudia Nieto-Sanchez⁴  Esteban G. Baus⁴  Mario J. Grijalva² 

[1] School of Communication Studies, Ohio University;Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University;Center for International Studies, Ohio University;Centro de Investigación para la Salud en America Latina, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador;Socio-Ecological Health Research Unit, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine

关键词: Chagas disease;    social construction of health;    home reconstruction;    barriers to change;    facilitators of change;    interview methods;    Ecuador;   

DOI  :  10.3390/tropicalmed8040228

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Background: Chagas disease (CD) is a tropical parasitic disease spread by triatomine bugs, which are bugs that tend to infest precarious housing in rural and impoverished areas. Reducing exposure to the bugs, and thus the parasite they can carry, is essential to preventing CD in these areas. One promising long-term sustainable solution is to reconstruct precarious houses. Implementing home reconstruction requires an understanding of how householders construct barriers and facilitators they might encounter when considering whether to rebuild their homes. Methods: To understand barriers and facilitators to home reconstruction, we performed in-depth qualitative interviews with 33 residents of Canton Calvas, Loja, Ecuador, a high-risk endemic region. Thematic analysis was used to identify these barriers and facilitators. Results: The thematic analysis identified three facilitators (project facilitators, social facilitators, and economic facilitators) and two major barriers (low personal economy and extensive deterioration of existing homes). Conclusions: The study findings provide important loci for assisting community members and for agents of change in home reconstruction projects to prevent CD. Specifically, the project and social facilitators suggest that collective community efforts (minga) are more likely to support home reconstruction intentions than individualist efforts, while the barriers suggest that addressing structural issues of economy and affordability are necessary.

【 授权许可】

CC BY