Navigating paradox in self-care
Megan Christofield, Pierre Moon, Pascale Allotey
Abstract
### Summary box Self-care is an approach to advancing health wherein people themselves take health actions towards the better health of themselves, their families or their community.1 These actions include new behaviours and those previously under the control of a healthcare provider that can now be offered or used with greater individual autonomy. Examples of self-care interventions include self-testing for sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy, blood glucose levels; self-management of chronic disease, contraceptive use, HIV prevention tactics; self-awareness of one’s health needs and health status and exercising self-determination to seek healthcare.2 An eminent value of self-care is its potential to improve access to and healthcare coverage while reducing dependency on facility-based services and the overburdened health workforce. Self-care can also elevate and bring greater control to individuals as stakeholders in their own health and well-being.2 Yielding these gains from self-care requires integration as a core component in health systems, not merely an add-on.3 This integration, where systems are reoriented to recognise individuals’ and communities’ role in coproducing health, presents layered obstacles stemming from the need for self-care …