Paulina Bleah (PhD in Nursing) – The Experience of Living with Diabetes in Liberia

Diabetes is a growing public health concern in Liberia; recent data shows about   2.1% of the population are living with the disease. This figure is likely a gross underestimation of the burden of disease in the country given the limited disease surveillance infrastructures and systems that exist. Diabetes places immense socioeconomic pressure on individuals and their families and burdens an already overstretched healthcare system, still recovering from the destructive effects of the 14-year civil war and the recent West African Ebola virus outbreak. The goal of my study was to explore what is it like to live with diabetes in Liberia. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat