[Social representations of cardiovascular disease in the Tanvè Health Study (TAHES) cohort in Benin].

Objective: To describe the social representations associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the village of Tanvè in Benin.

Methods: Focus groups discussions and semi-structured interviews were conducted among participants of Tanvè Health Study (TAHES) cohort. Audio recordings were made during the interviews, as well as some note-taking. Data were organized by themes and analyzed to identify key representations that underlie attitudes and health care practices.

Results: A total of 19 subjects (including 11 women) participated in 2 focus groups and 17 (including 5 women) in individual interviews. Etymologies of CVD's names evoke either clinical signs (example: ''tesisi glô mɛ'' [can't stand up]), guessed etiology (example: ''kuvitɔ zɔn'' [ghosts' disease]) or a local adaptation of a biomedical name (example: ''a'tension'' [from hypertension]), to cite the example of stroke. According to beliefs about etiology, diseases were classed as ''simple'' or "organic" diseases ("azɔn yaya") and ''supernatural'' or ''induced'' diseases linked to "azé" [immaterial witchcraft] or "bô" [material bewitchment]. Chronic or recurrent diseases usually end up in the ''supranatural'' category and induce the consultation of "bokɔnɔ᷉" (diviner) or other religious for diagnosis. Health care seeking refer to modern medicine, "amanɔn" (leaf-based care), "bokɔnɔ᷉" or traditional religious (various rites) and Christians (prayers).

Conclusion: Social representations of CVD in this community are based on ancestral beliefs, but are also influenced by modern knowledge. Taking them into account could improve quality of health to fulfill communities' care needs.