Arsenicosis and stigmatisation

Abstract

Arsenicosis is believed to have debilitating effects on social relations, but with arsenic poisoning previously associated directly with economic and cognitive impacts, the degree to which stigmatisation is influenced by socio-economic or health status has not been established in the literature. Based on face-to-face interviews with 100 arsenic outpatients from specialist arsenic clinics in rural Bangladesh, this study represents an early quantitative analysis of factors predicting social impacts of arsenicosis. Physical health status, average years of schooling, family size and the presence of non-government organisation (NGO) and government-run arsenic-awareness campaigns significantly predicted social impacts. We found that the presence of awareness-raising activities was by far the most significant predictor of social impacts after other key variables, including gender and income, thus underscoring the importance of public health interventions in mitigating the impact of stigmatised diseases. The study confirms previous qualitative findings that ostracism is a pervasive problem for arsenicosis patients, and that public health interventions can be a valuable counter to such social problems.

Keywords: NGO public health campaigns; arsenicosis; social impact.