Industrial mining projects can play an important role in global sustainable development if associated health risks are minimised and opportunities maximised. While a broad body of evidence from quantitative studies exists that establishes the interlinkages between mining operations and effects on public health, little research has been conducted investigating health impacts from the perspective of affected communities. This is particularly true in sub-Saharan Africa, where about a third of the remaining global mineral resources are endowed and health-related indicators for sustainable development are lagging behind. In this multi-country qualitative study, we explore community perceptions regarding impacts of industrial mining on their health and well-being. In nine study sites in Burkina Faso, Mozambique and Tanzania, we conducted 83 participatory focus group discussions with a total of 791 participants (385 men, 406 women). Our findings reveal a broad range of perceived impacts on environmental, economic and social determinants of health, with secondary health implications related to morbidity, mortality and well-being. Overall, perceived negative impacts prevailed, mainly related to environmental pollution, change in livelihoods or social disruption. Perceived positive impacts on health and well-being were related to interventions implemented by the mines such as new or improved water sources, health care facilities, roads and schools. The consistency of these findings across countries and study sites suggests a structural problem and indicates a pressing need to address health by acting on the wider determinants of health in mining regions. Participatory health impact assessment should be strengthened in host countries to foster strategic interventions, include marginalised population groups, and protect and promote the health of local communities. By including community perspectives on health before and during project implementation, policymakers can take advantage of economic opportunities while avoiding the pitfalls, bringing their communities closer to achieving good health and well-being goals by 2030 and beyond.
Mining projects affect the health of surrounding communities by inducing environmental, economic, social and cultural changes in different population groups. Health impact assessment (HIA) offers an opportunity to manage these impacts. This paper aims to explore gender differences of impacts on the wider determinants of health as described by communities impacted by industrial gold mining and consider the implications for impact assessment. We conducted 24 gender-separated, participatory focus group discussions at three study sites in northwestern Tanzania. Participants reported on a broad range of impacts on the wider determinants of health. Based on a thematic analysis, we identified gendered health impacts on men and women; in addition, children and adolescent boys and girls emerged as differently affected subpopulation groups. Located in the theory of the 'triple role of women', we suggest that different gender needs should be addressed more explicitly by HIA. Increased use of mitigation measures that recognise and address impacts on women's engendered roles, and their health, through addressing women's strategic gender needs, would strengthen HIA as a tool towards sustainable development.
Industrial mining transforms local landscapes, including important health determinants like clean water and sanitation. In this paper, we combined macro-level quantitative and micro-level qualitative data to show how mining projects affect water infrastructures and ultimately the health of affected communities. Although we observed a positive trend of water infrastructure in mining settings, surrounding communities are also characterized by water scarcity and degradation of water quality. The video at the core of this publication showcases inter-linkages of the findings obtained at both the macro- and the micro-levels, embedding our results in a geospatial context. While mining projects can have positive impacts on the development of local water infrastructure, improved management of negative impacts of mining projects is needed for promoting ‘Good health and well-being’ and ‘Clean water and sanitation’ as promulgated by the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
Background: Strengthening malaria control activities in Tanzania has dramatically declined human malaria infections. However, the burden is now higher among school-age children, but with the inconsistency of evidence on risk factors and underlying causes for such an epidemiological shift. This study explored activities and behaviors that increase the vulnerability of school-age children to transmission risk. Methods: Twenty-four focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in three districts of Rufiji, Kibiti and Kilwa in south-eastern Tanzania. Sixteen FGDs worked with school-age children (13 to 18 years) and eight FGDs with their parents. Results: Routine domestic activities such as fetching water, washing kitchen utensils, cooking, recreational activities such as playing and watching television as well as studying were the reported activities that kept school-age children outdoors late into the evening and therefore, likely to predispose them to malaria infection. Likewise, the social and cultural events such as initiation ceremonies and livelihood activities also kept this age group outdoors from late evening to early night and sometimes past midnight hours. Parents migrating to farms from December to June, leaving behind school-age children unsupervised and the behavior of children sprawling legs and hands while sleeping were also mentioned as drivers increasing school-age children’s vulnerability to infectious mosquito bites. Conclusion: The risky activities, behaviors, and social events mostly occurring outdoors increase school-age children's vulnerability to malaria infections. The evidence presented calls for the urgent need to integrate outdoor malaria vector control measures into the existing interventions to control infection before bedtime. That will speed up efforts toward having society free of malaria by 2030.
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