"High blood pressure comes from thinking too much": Understandings of illness among couples living with cardiometabolic disorders and HIV in Malawi.

ABSTRACT: Cardiometabolic disorders (CMD) such as hypertension and diabetes are increasingly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, placing people living with HIV at risk for cardiovascular disease and threatening the success of HIV care. Spouses are often the primary caregivers for people living with CMD, and understanding patients' and partners' conceptions of CMD could inform care. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 couples having a partner living with HIV and either hypertension or diabetes. Couples were recruited from HIV clinics in Malawi and were interviewed on beliefs around symptoms, causation, prevention, and treatment for CMD. Data were analyzed at the individual and dyadic levels using framework analysis and Kleinman's theory of explanatory models as a lens. On average, participan

SUBMITTER: Jere J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10754453 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature