THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIOR (ETHNICITY, ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE, UTILIZATION, SERVICES).
Item
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Title
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THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIOR (ETHNICITY, ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE, UTILIZATION, SERVICES).
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Identifier
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AAI8515665
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identifier
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8515665
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Creator
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SUFIAN, MERYL.
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Contributor
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Michael E. Brown
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Date
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1985
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, General
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Abstract
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Lack of adequate health care is a problem for many members of Third World groups. The Third World population is a growing one in major urban areas in the United States and is a population that has significant health needs. Coupled with this is the growing problem of chronic disease which is the leading cause of disability and death among all groups today. Because chronic illness creates a special dependency of clients on professionals that may be inconsistent with the familiar conventions of their lives, members of Third World groups with chronic illness may find themselves in medical situations in which the clash of cultures is particularly significant in determining their health-related behavior. The research that follows deals with problems that emerge when members of Third World groups suffering from chronic disease make contact with health professionals. Our contention is that a conflict emerges between the culture of the health care system and the healing cultures of Third World ethnic groups.;There may be many consequences that result on both sides of this conflict. We are interested in the impact the conflict has on health-related behavior, especially the utilization by Third World groups of healing resources that are available in urban areas. It is the thesis of this dissertation that one way in which persons from Third World groups resolve the cultural conflict between systems is to engage in a pattern that we call dual utilization. This pattern involves the utilization of healing resources from both the mainstream health care system and a culturally sanctioned indigenous healing system. We hypothesize that people who adhere to culturally-established health beliefs are more likely to display a pattern of dual utilization than people who adhere to the beliefs of scientific medicine. If this is the case, it is then incumbent upon the health care system and its practitioners, as far as policy is concerned, to become culturally sensitive on both a structural and interpersonal level in the approach toward healing and toward clients or potential clients of the health care system.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Sociology
