Rural women's perpectives of cardiovascular diseases: A study of Gwanda South Rural District, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Historically, the cardiovascular disease (CVD) has internationally been viewed as a man’s disease. This is witnessed by the high number of males who have fallen victim to this scourge. However, with rapid changes in today’s societies, the disease has increasingly become a public health concern among women also. This study aimed to explore rural women’s perspectives of CVD in Gwanda South Rural District. The study was guided by a feminist perspective where theories of gender such as social construction feminism, intersectionality and standpoint theory, were employed as a theoretical framework. In this process, the research endeavoured to unearth some contradictions inherent in the manner in which women view CVD. The population of the study comprised of females aged 21-60 years residing in Gwanda South Rural District of Zimbabwe. An exploratory case study design was adopted and this guided the qualitative data collection and analysis. Purposeful sampling technique was used to select 16 participants for semi-structured interviews and six participants for focus group discussions. Data were analysed using thematic analysis which is an essential tool for qualitative data analysis. Data were presented and discussed as themes and subthemes. The concepts of credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability were used to describe and ensure various aspects of trustworthiness. Ethical considerations like informed consent, confidentiality and anonymity and no harm to participants were ensured. The following seven themes were derived from the study; women’s knowledge of CVD, causes of CVD, prevention of CVD, perceived effects of CVD, difference in experiences of CVD, assistance of women with CVD and management of CVD. Findings revealed that women had limited knowledge of most CVDs but were familiar with hypertension and stroke. Various symptoms of CVD were identified. It was concluded that rural women do not have adequate knowledge of CVDs. A lot should be done by the government and other stakeholders to ameliorate cardiovascular health in rural women.