{"title":"From risk factors to disease situations: A socio-spatial analysis of COVID-19 experiences in Lima, Peru","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117413","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The goal of this qualitative research study, part of an interdisciplinary project, was to understand the overlapping geographical distribution of COVID-19 and tuberculosis burden in Lima. Using an ethnographic approach, we applied the concept of <em>disease situations</em> to explore how inhabitants’ social and spatial situatedness affected their capacity to respond to the pandemic. Our results show that for some populations in Lima, the risk to develop COVID-19 did not emerge suddenly; it could be traced back to situations of living under subsistence models, relying on unstable sources of income, facing food insecurity, depending on certain mechanisms of social protection, residing in precarious living environments and lacking access to quality health care. These populations did not only have less resources to adjust to changes in daily life induced by the pandemic; they were also forced to constantly weigh the risk of COVID-19 against other pressing needs and potentially face increased risks when control measures were actually followed. Pre-existing social networks played fundamental roles as sources of emotional and material support. The lens of <em>disease situations</em> can help to identify and explain spatial and social configurations that enhance vulnerability, as well as resilience mechanisms that are in place to deal with crises. This perspective could inform the design of contextualised prevention and response strategies around health risks in cities as diverse as Lima, whilst building on existing resources at local levels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49122,"journal":{"name":"Social Science & Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Social Science & Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953624008670","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The goal of this qualitative research study, part of an interdisciplinary project, was to understand the overlapping geographical distribution of COVID-19 and tuberculosis burden in Lima. Using an ethnographic approach, we applied the concept of disease situations to explore how inhabitants’ social and spatial situatedness affected their capacity to respond to the pandemic. Our results show that for some populations in Lima, the risk to develop COVID-19 did not emerge suddenly; it could be traced back to situations of living under subsistence models, relying on unstable sources of income, facing food insecurity, depending on certain mechanisms of social protection, residing in precarious living environments and lacking access to quality health care. These populations did not only have less resources to adjust to changes in daily life induced by the pandemic; they were also forced to constantly weigh the risk of COVID-19 against other pressing needs and potentially face increased risks when control measures were actually followed. Pre-existing social networks played fundamental roles as sources of emotional and material support. The lens of disease situations can help to identify and explain spatial and social configurations that enhance vulnerability, as well as resilience mechanisms that are in place to deal with crises. This perspective could inform the design of contextualised prevention and response strategies around health risks in cities as diverse as Lima, whilst building on existing resources at local levels.
期刊介绍:
Social Science & Medicine provides an international and interdisciplinary forum for the dissemination of social science research on health. We publish original research articles (both empirical and theoretical), reviews, position papers and commentaries on health issues, to inform current research, policy and practice in all areas of common interest to social scientists, health practitioners, and policy makers. The journal publishes material relevant to any aspect of health from a wide range of social science disciplines (anthropology, economics, epidemiology, geography, policy, psychology, and sociology), and material relevant to the social sciences from any of the professions concerned with physical and mental health, health care, clinical practice, and health policy and organization. We encourage material which is of general interest to an international readership.