A) Salt consumption | ||
Category | Sub-category | Concepts |
1) Local practices | Food preservation/conservation | Salt used to prevent decomposition of food [n = 3]* |
Salt preserved (canned or processed) foods used [n = 5] | ||
Food preparation | Salt, maggi used(in quantities) to cook/season meals [n = 14] | |
Extra (table) salt added to already cooked meals [n = 2] | ||
Medicinal use of salt | Salted solution (salt water) used in treating stomach (abdominal) discomfort [n = 3] | |
2) Patient related factors | Poor hypertension knowledge | Ignorance of the influence of salt on hypertension [n = 2] |
B) Weight control | ||
Category | Sub-category | Concepts |
1) Local practices | Perceived relationship of weight to affluence/comfort/wealth | Societal views that ‘the fatter, the more affluent, the more comfortable’ [n = 12] |
Perceived relationship of weight to illness/disease | Societal view that ‘losing weight (slimming down) means serious illness’ [n = 13] | |
Perceived relationship of weight to beauty | Societal view that ‘being fat enhances beauty/sexual attractiveness’ [n = 7] | |
Perceived inheritableness of weight gain/obesity (family trait) | Heaviness (fatness) is inherited in my family; we usually have big sizes [n = 3] | |
Perceived fattening tendency of local meals | Local meals heavily starch based and fattening [n = 5] | |
Red palm oil and Groundnut oil are the only readily available cooking oils here [n = 11] | ||
Rampant local Goat breeding practice makes meat easily available and cheap [n = 2] | ||
C) Exercise | ||
Category | Sub-category | Concepts |
1) Local practices | Perceived needlessness of exercise | Societal view that ‘exercise is meant for the unengaged, unserious and greedy persons that rather walk to avoid travel costs’ [n = 5] |
Perceived danger of exercise for the aged | Societal view that ‘exercise is dangerous’ for older adults and the elderly [n = 7] | |
2) Patient related factors | Poor knowledge of relationship between exercise and hypertension | Perception that ‘exercise is dangerous’, makes hypertension worse [n = 5] |
Poor awareness on ‘how to exercise’ | Ignorance about available and easy everyday exercise activities [n = 11] | |
D) Tobacco, alcohol, stimulants | ||
Category | Sub-category | Concepts |
1) Local practices | Perceived benefits of tobacco (smoking) | Alcohol used in relieving stress/tension [n = 2] |
Perceived benefits of alcohol (local palm wine) | Palm wine makes vision clearer [n = 1] | |
Perceived benefits of snuff (Nicotine powder) | Snuff useful in relieving stress and tension [n = 1] | |
Perceived benefits of Kola nut consumption | Normal for older adults and the elderly to chew ‘Kola’ regularly; Kola nuts stimulate work [n = 2] |