Understanding Poverty Related Diseases (PRDs) in Cameroon from a Salutogenic Perspective (COMPLETED)

Everyday people are faced with different situations or conditions which have an impact on their health and well-being. Some of these conditions could be directly linked to their living environments and either exacerbate or reduce the chances of good health. Other situations could be linked to their income or daily activities such as academic or work stress and be potential stressors with unwanted consequences.  Poverty remains a major challenge in developing countries in general and in Cameroon in particular which has about 40% of its population living below the poverty line (2015 estimate). Associated with poverty are diseases termed Poverty-related diseases (PRDs) which also act as stressors on health. The way in which people cope with the stressors they face daily, determines the outcome of their health.  People’s ability to cope could be internal in origin. This is related to a perception that one is able to handle the stressors of life. This differs from person to person. The ability could also be external and employ the use of resources which are outside the person such as social support or job status. A salutogenic approach provides a particular perspective to the way health is viewed. It focuses on how health is created. It also focuses on resources people have and how they identify and employ these resources (internal or external) to advance towards better health and well-being. The objective therefore of this project is to use a salutogenic approach to create an understanding of the social and material dynamics which determine people’s ability to preserve health, anticipate health risks, and mitigate or recover from PRDs in Cameroon.

Dr. Valerie Makoge (PhD project)