BACKGROUND:
The
forest-dwelling Amerindian peoples of
Guyana are among that nation's most impoverished, vulnerable and least served.
Health promotion messaging has been informed in large part by nation-level
health indicators that may not be well targeted to this group. Our study sought to identify local
health education needs, and to identify factors preventing proper uptake of
health messaging.
METHODS:
As part of
medical missions to the interior, we asked
patients waiting for care to anonymously submit their
health questions in
writing. Conventional content
analysis was employed to identify prevalent themes in their responses.
FINDINGS:
Sexual health (63.6%) and
nutrition (17.4%) were the most popular themes asked about. Within the former, the
science of
sexual maturation and
reproduction (31.4%) and
HIV/
AIDS (28.8%) were the most common sub-themes, with the pathophysiology and
etiology of
HIV/
AIDS being the most common sub-theme within the latter.
INTERPRETATION:
Within
Guyana's Amerindian
community, there exists a prevalent
curiosity about the basic
science of both sexual
reproduction and the
transmission of sexual
disease.
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