A mixed-methods, population-based study of a syndemic in Soweto, South Africa.

ABSTRACT: A syndemic has been theorized as a cluster of epidemics driven by harmful social and structural conditions wherein the interactions between the constitutive epidemics drive excess morbidity and mortality. We conducted a mixed-methods study to investigate a syndemic in Soweto, South Africa, consisting of a population-based quantitative survey (N = 783) and in-depth, qualitative interviews (N = 88). We used ethnographic methods to design a locally relevant measure of stress. Here we show that multimorbidity and stress interacted with each other to reduce quality of life. The paired qualitative analysis further explored how the quality-of-life impacts of multimorbidity were conditioned by study participants' illness experiences. Together, these findings underscore the importance of recognizin

SUBMITTER: Mendenhall E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8799501 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature