How are inequalities generated in the management and consequences of gastrointestinal infections in the UK? An ethnographic study



Rotheram, Suzanne ORCID: 0000-0002-4444-9796, Cooper, Jessie, Barr, Ben ORCID: 0000-0002-4208-9475 and Whitehead, Margaret ORCID: 0000-0001-5614-6576
(2021) How are inequalities generated in the management and consequences of gastrointestinal infections in the UK? An ethnographic study. Social Science & Medicine, 282. p. 114131.

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Abstract

Gastrointestinal infections are an important global public health issue. In the UK, one in four people experience a gastrointestinal infection each year and epidemiological research highlights inequalities in the burden of disease. Specifically, poorer children are at greater risk of infection and the consequences of illness, such as symptom severity and time off work/school, are greater for less privileged groups of all ages. Gastrointestinal infections are, however, largely 'hidden' within the home and little is known about the lived experience and practices surrounding these illnesses, how they vary across contrasting socioeconomic contexts, or how inequalities in the disease burden across socioeconomic groups might come about. This paper presents data from an ethnographic study which illuminate how socioeconomic inequalities in the physical and material management and consequences of gastrointestinal infections are generated in families with young children. The study shows how the 'work' needed to manage gastrointestinal infections is more laborious for people living in more 'disadvantaged' conditions, exacerbated by: more overcrowded homes with fewer washing and toilet facilities; inflexible employment; low household incomes; and higher likelihood of co-morbidities which can be made worse by having a gastrointestinal infection. Our findings call into question the current approach to prevention of gastrointestinal infections which tend to focus almost exclusively on individual behaviours, which are not adapted to reflect differences in socioeconomic context. Public health agencies should also consider how wider social, economic and policy contexts shape inequalities in the management and consequences of illness. Our findings are also pertinent to the COVID-19 pandemic response in the UK. They highlight how research and policy approaches to acute infectious diseases need to take into consideration the differing lived experiences of contrasting households if they wish to address (and avoid exacerbating) inequalities in the future.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Gastrointestinal infection, Health inequalities, Behavioural interventions, Ethnography, COVID-19
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 29 Jun 2021 09:35
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 21:37
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114131
Open Access URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114131
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3128117