Sustainability and Social Justice
Document Type
Article
Abstract
This study contributes to the literature about the effects of space and place on health by introducing a socio-territorial approach to urban health disparities in West Africa. It explores how urban spaces, specifically neighbourhoods, are shaped by social and economic relations and strategies of territorial control. We examine the potential influence of socio-territorial processes on vulnerability to disease, access to medical care, healthscapes, and illness experiences. Our research was conducted in Senegal and relied on a mixed methods design. We identified four neighbourhoods that represent the socio-spatial heterogeneity of the city of Saint-Louis and utilized the following methods: geographic and anthropological field research, household surveys, health knowledge and behaviour surveys, clinical exams, and illness interviews. Our results highlight the socio-territorial processes at work in each neighbourhood, clinical findings on three health measures (overweight, high blood pressure, and hyperglycaemia) and health experiences of individuals with hypertension or type II diabetes. We found significant differences in the prevalence of the three health measures in the study sites, while experiences managing hypertension and diabetes were similar. We conclude that a socio-territorial approach offers insight into the complex constellation of forces that produce health disparities in urban settings.
Publication Title
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Publication Date
1-22-2017
Volume
14
Issue
1
ISSN
1661-7827
DOI
10.3390/ijerph14010106
Keywords
diabetes, health disparities, hypertension, socio-territorial approach, urban health, West Africa
Repository Citation
Vialard, Lucie; Squiban, Clara; Fournet, Florence; Salem, Gérard; and Foley, Ellen, "Toward a Socio-Territorial Approach to Health: Health Equity in West Africa" (2017). Sustainability and Social Justice. 262.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_idce/262
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright
Vialard, Lucie, et al. "Toward a socio-Territorial approach to health: Health equity in West Africa." International journal of environmental research and public health 14.1 (2017): 106.