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“Ne nnipadua mmpe” (the body hates it): Exploring the lived experience of food allergy in Sub-Saharan Africa

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  • Atiim, George A.
  • Elliott, Susan J.
  • Clarke, Ann E.

Abstract

Allergic diseases have closely followed the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) especially in western societies. As prevalence of NCD is increasing in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), researchers are hinting that the same future may hold for (food) allergic disease in this world region. Already, researchers are beginning to record prevalence, though with little attention to the social experience of individuals and parents with food allergic children. This paper presents the first qualitative analysis of the daily realities of adults and parents of children with allergies in SSA using Ghana as a case study. Drawing on political ecology of health, this study contextualizes the psychological (e.g. anxiety and fear), social (e.g. stigmatization, social exclusion), and economic (e.g. impact on work & household expenditures) wellbeing of affected persons within the broader sociocultural environment. By exploring the sociocultural environment, the results provide insights into the likely structures (e.g. the lack of familiarity, absence of local discursive repertoire on food allergy, infrastructure deficit) which interact to shape anxiety, and social exclusion of people with allergy. The case study provides evidence suggesting food allergies do have a global reach, and policy makers must heed the message to integrate food allergy into the broader chronic disease prevention agenda.

Suggested Citation

  • Atiim, George A. & Elliott, Susan J. & Clarke, Ann E., 2018. "“Ne nnipadua mmpe” (the body hates it): Exploring the lived experience of food allergy in Sub-Saharan Africa," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 72-81.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:205:y:2018:i:c:p:72-81
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.03.031
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Emmanuel Quansah & Lilian Akorfa Ohene & Linda Norman & Michael Osei Mireku & Thomas K Karikari, 2016. "Social Factors Influencing Child Health in Ghana," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(1), pages 1-20, January.
    2. Abigail H. Neely, 2015. "Internal Ecologies and the Limits of Local Biologies: A Political Ecology of Tuberculosis in the Time of AIDS," Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 105(4), pages 791-805, July.
    3. Waggoner, Miranda R., 2013. "Parsing the peanut panic: The social life of a contested food allergy epidemic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 49-55.
    4. Timmermans, Stefan & Freidin, Betina, 2007. "Caretaking as articulation work: The effects of taking up responsibility for a child with asthma on labor force participation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(7), pages 1351-1363, October.
    5. Rous, Trevor & Hunt, Alan, 2004. "Governing peanuts: the regulation of the social bodies of children and the risks of food allergies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(4), pages 825-836, February.
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