Africans, Health Of

Résumé fourni par la source

Abstract Africa is a vast continent, divided into the sub‐Saharan south and the Arab north. The diverse geographic, cultural, and societal makeup explains the varying morbidity and mortality patterns, and shapes the health‐related beliefs, behaviors, and practices of Africans. Socioeconomically, the least developed countries in the world are in Africa, implying huge backlogs in living standards and a widespread lack of health services. Consequently, Africans generally fare poorly on core health indicators (infant, under‐5, and maternal mortality), and are heavily burdened by communicable diseases. Increasing globalization, Westernization, and urbanization have changed the living conditions and lifestyles of Africans, with concomitant increases in non‐communicable and lifestyle diseases. Over centuries, African health systems have been shaped by multiple factors. Western‐type health care was introduced by waves of Europeans settlers and missionaries. However, Africans strongly maintained traditional ways of explaining, diagnosing, and treating disease. From this emerged mixed health systems, variably containing elements of traditional and allopathic care, and delivered in free‐market (private) and state‐provided settings. Western‐type care remains in many African countries weakly developed and urban‐concentrated. Amid chronic shortages of resources, new care models are emerging. The general availability of African traditional healers means that large proportions of Africans prefer African traditional healing over allopathic medicine.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.