ANT345H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Health Belief Model, Traditional Medicine, Condom
Document Summary
Culture is an important determinant of health in a number of ways. People"s attitudes towards foods and what they eat, for example, are closely related to culture. Second culture, is an important determinant of people"s perceptions of illness. Third, the extent to which people use health services is also very closely linked with culture. Some groups may use health services as soon as they feel ill. others, however, may visit health practitioners only when they are very sick. Fourth, different cultures have different practices concerning health and medical treatment. For example, a culture that put a strong emphasis on monogamy in marriage should have lower rates of hiv/aids than cultures in which having multiple sexual partners is more tolerated. However, some cultural values may not enhance health. For example, a sign of wealth is being heavy and this promotes cardiovascular disease. Some cultures have food taboos that prevent pregnant women form getting all the and diabetes. required nutrients.
