The socio-economic impact of stroke on households in Livingstone district, Zambia: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background:Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability. Stroke, which affects mostly the productive age group, leaves about 65% of its victims disabled, leads to increased loss of manpower both at individual and national levels. Little is known about the socio-economic burden of the disease in terms of its impacts on the individual, family and community both directly and indirectly in Sub-Sahara Africa region and Zambia at large.Aim:The study was aimed at assessing the socio-economic impact of stroke households in Livingstone district, Zambia.Subjects and Methods:A total of 50 households were randomly selected from the registers of Livingstone General Hospital. Self-administered questionnaires and focus group discussions were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16 (IBM Corporation) and content analysis. Chi-square test was used to make associations between variables.Results:The social impacts on the victim were depression, difficult to get along with, resentfulness, apathy, needy, separation, divorce, general marital problems, neglect on the part of the victim and fear. The economic impacts were loss of employment, reduced business activity and loss of business on the part of the victim. Economic activities such as food provision, payment of school fees, accommodation were affected as a result of stroke and this led to financial insecurities in households with lost incomes in form of salaries and businesses. The activities forgone by stroke households were food provision, housing and education. The study also revealed an association between period of stroke and relationship changes (P < 0.001). Gender and family relationship changes were highly associated (P < 0.00), as more females than males experienced relationship changes.Conclusion:The results of the present study show that stroke has considerable socio-economic impact on households in Livingstone district, which can deter the victims’ development as well as the household and the nation at large.

Modelling the potential impact of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax on stroke mortality, costs and health-adjusted life years in South Africa

“…Between 50–65 % of survivors have some form of physical or cognitive disability [ 6 ]. Stroke is increasingly affecting those aged 60 years and younger [ 7 ]. This leads to loss of work force and poor economic outcomes with the loss of breadwinners, while on the other hand, the prognosis of stroke is worsened by poor economic conditions.…”

“…Additional indirect costs include lost productivity resulting from morbidity and mortality and the costs of informal care by families and communities. Affecting mostly the economically productive age group especially in LMICs, stroke leaves about 65 % of its victims disabled leading to increased loss of manpower both at individual, household and societal levels [ 7 ] which adversely affects productivity and income, and hampers development. It also affects social relationships and economic status.…”

Effect of a tailored multidimensional intervention on the care burden among family caregivers of stroke survivors: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

“…However, stroke is an unexpected illness that forces families to care for their loved ones even when unprepared. It therefore poses many challenges to which family caregivers are required to adjust without sacrificing their personal lives 2 8 12. For instance, caregivers of stroke survivors frequently complain that they get insufficient time for sleep, socialisation and mental relaxation, which affects their well-being and health 8 13 14.…”

“…This situation exposes caregivers in Egypt to a heightened risk of care burden 53. Moreover, the previous studies reveal caregivers in the developed countries where rehabilitation and home healthcare are well-provided, often feel care burden 12 15 54 55. It was recommended that the caregivers of stroke survivors be supported by providing community-integrated interventions which consider the continuous support after the stroke survivors’ discharge 56 57.…”

The Application of Focus Group Discussions and Interviews in Community Physiotherapy

“…In a recent study on stroke survivors in Zambia (Mapulanga et al, 2014), 50 households in the Livingstone district were included in focus group discussions to understand the socio-economic burden of the disease at the individual, family and community levels. The analyses of the data collected from these discussions helped to highlight the burden created by the disease at different levels.…”