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PubMed1999

Migrant labor takes a holiday. Reworking modernity and marginality in contemporary Thailand.

This paper examines the practice of working-class group excursions in Thailand, organized by and for rural labor migrants in Bangkok. These trips involve traditional forms of Buddhist ceremonial as well as more self-consciously "modern" sightseeing activities in distant regions of the country. More than just a welcome respite from the drudgery and discipline of factory jobs, these excursions allow labor migrants to make important claims about their experiences as members of the Thai nation-state. As tourist-consumers, migrant workers appropriate powerful signs and symbols of modern Thai identity and status, in doing so they contest (and at least partly rework) their material and ideological marginalization within contemporary Thai society.

Asia↗
PubMed2002

Consumer Health Information for Asians (CHIA): a collaborative project.

According to the 2000 United States Census, the Asian population in Houston, Texas, has increased more than 67% in the last ten years. To supplement an already active consumer health information program, the staff of the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library worked with community partners to bring health information to predominantly Asian neighborhoods. Brochures on health topics of concern to the Asian community were translated and placed in eight informational kiosks in Asian centers such as temples and an Asian grocery store. A press conference and a ribbon cutting ceremony were held to debut the kiosks and to introduce the Consumer Health Information for Asians (CHIA) program. Project goals for the future include digitizing the translated brochures, mounting them on the Houston HealthWays Website, and developing touch-screen kiosks. The CHIA group is investigating adding health resources in other Asian languages, as well as Spanish. Funding for this project has come from outside sources rather than from the regular library budget.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tobacco use among American Indians in Oklahoma: an epidemiologic view.

OBJECTIVES: With the exception of national surveys that sample the entire U.S. population, little information exists on tobacco habits among American Indians. This study is a comparison of tobacco use findings in the 1990s among American Indians in Oklahoma, a state with a large and diverse American Indian population (39 tribes). METHODS: Data on current tobacco use are presented from two statewide surveys, the Oklahoma Youth Tobacco Survey and the Native American Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, as well as two large epidemiologic studies of chronic disease among American Indians-the Cherokee Diabetes Study and the Strong Heart Study. Three of these four sources of data involve research/surveys exclusively about American Indians. RESULTS: Nontraditional use of tobacco by American Indians occurs frequently, according to each instrument. Initiation to this habit begins in middle school and increases dramatically during high school. After age 50, reporting by individuals that they currently smoke declines steadily. CONCLUSIONS: Despite sampling different individuals for the surveys and different tribes for the epidemiologic research, results were comparable in age groups that overlapped. These findings support national data indicating that American Indians have higher prevalence rates of smoking than other racial/ethnic groups. American Indians report smoking on average about a half a pack of cigarettes per day. Individuals reporting using tobacco solely for ceremonial purposes were far fewer than habitual users. Buying tobacco products in American Indian smoke shops helps tribal economies; this fact needs to be considered for prevention programs to succeed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Relilgious beliefs and practices of Taiwanese parents of pediatric patients with cancer.

The aim of this study was to increase understanding of religious beliefs and practices among Taiwanese parents of pediatric patients. Parents of 63 pediatric patients with cancer were interviewed to explore their related religious beliefs and practices, ie, worship at temple, drawing Chien, and divinations. Rituals were used to diminish the harmful effects of the child's disease, such as temple ceremonies, changing the child's name, and taking "Fu" water. Such practices were generally undertaken with a lack of medical guidance from oncologists largely because of poor interactions between parents and oncologists. The findings suggest that discovering a caregiver's worldview and cultural values is important to establish holistic nursing practices. Because immigrants increasingly move around the world, Taiwanese parents become a culturally diverse clientele for healthcare professionals who have to be aware of the existing cultural differences in healthcare values, patterns, and practices, particularly between Western and Eastern cultures.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Nationwide survey on alcohol use among junior and senior high school students in Japan].

We conducted the first nationwide survey on alcohol use by Japanese junior and senior high school students using a representative sampling procedure. Sample schools were selected by stratified cluster sampling. Response rates for self-administered anonymous questionnaires sent to sample schools for all students to fill out were 65.6% for junior high schools and 67.0% for senior high schools. A total of 117,325 students responded and 115,814 questionnaires were subjected to analysis. The proportion of current alcohol use (drank alcohol on > = 1 of the 30 days preceding the survey) among seventh graders was 26.0% for boys and 22.2% for girls, and it increased with age to reach 54.9% for boys and 43.4% for girls in the twelfth grade. The experience rate of alcohol drinking on ceremonial occasions was much higher than for any other modes of drinking. However, the experience rates of drinking with peers at parties, in bars, and drinking alone increased with age. The proportion of heavy drinkers also increased with age. The cumulative experience rate of drinking with peers was dramatically increased in senior high school students. The most popular alcohol drink among boys was beer, whereas it was liquor with sweet taste among girls. Most important routes of purchase of alcohol were convenience stores, bars, liquor shops, and vending machines.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Social and cultural aspects of infertility in Mozambique.

Findings of an anthropological study of socio-cultural aspects of infertility among members of the matrilineal ethnic group Macua in the north of Mozambique are presented. Infertile women apply various strategies to have a child. Traditional healers are visited much more often than the modern hospital, and the explanations the infertile women themselves give for their infertility more often originated from the traditional healers than from the hospital staff. Almost all of the interviewed women commit adultery in the hope to conceive. Some of them apply fostering as a partial solution for childlessness. The Macua infertile women experience various consequences due to their infertility, of which exclusion from certain social activities and traditional ceremonies is perceived as a very problematic one. The matrilineal kinship system means that the husband and his family do not mistreat and repudiate her. Infertility must be considered as a serious reproductive health problem in Mozambique. For the long term preventive measures may be more influential than curative one. The findings of this study can be used to elaborate culturally sensitive health education programmes.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

A time to live, a time to grieve: patterns and processes of mourning among the Yolngu of Australia.

Anthropological studies of mortuary ceremonies have focused primarily on their social and structural correlates and functions. Little attention has been given to their role in facilitating the expression and resolution of grief by the bereaved. The elaborate and extended mortuary rites of the people of northeastern Arnhem Land, Australia (the "Murngin") have several characteristics which promote and structure the mourning process and facilitate the full reintegration of the bereaved into the social life of the community.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2001

"Take my water": liberation through prohibition in San Pedro Chenalhó, Chiapas, Mexico.

This article explores changing views of alcohol in San Pedro Chenalhó, a township in highland Chiapas, Mexico that has been profoundly transformed by the Zapatista democracy movement. The first part of the article provides an overview of drinking in Chenalhó in the 1970s and 1980s when alcohol was still a strong symbol of community solidarity and an important part of healing ceremonies. The second part describes the period since the Zapatista uprising, a period in which indigenous women have begun to intensify their involvement in the political affairs of their communities. In their search for autonomy and to recover pride and dignity, both women and men supporters of the Zapatista movement reject alcohol as a symbol of political and economic domination. A commentary examines the relationship between the critiques of alcohol that have developed in Chenalhó since the 1970s and political economy perspectives in alcohol studies. Both explanatory frameworks focus on the power structures in which alcohol sales and use are embedded.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1996

[The man on the portrait].

Marie Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry 1911. During the preceding year a rumour had circulated in Stockholm that she had had an affaire with one of her assistants. She received a letter, in which she was told that there had been strong opposition to her election not on scientific but moral grounds, and that she should not go to Stockholm, because nobody could forsee what reactions her appearance at the prize ceremony could evoke. Emil Kleen, a man of violent temper and radical opinions, reacted strongly to these rumours. He wrote a paper, with a violent attack on Gustaf Retzius, previous professor of Histology at Karolinska Institutet. Rightly or wrongly he suspected him to be the author of the infamous letter. Retzius is described as a dilletant in scientific matters, as a "sexual hyena" and a garroulus old man. This portrait of Retzius is of course most unfair, but the portrait of Emil Kleen by the famous swedish artist Bruno Liljefors is a masterpiece and one of the most valuable of the Swedish Medical Association.

History, 20th Century↗
PubMed2000

Interpreting female genital cutting: moving beyond the impasse.

Female genital cutting has been practiced in many parts of the world but is now most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. Particularly in the last half-century, genital cutting ceremonies have attracted significant scientific and media attention. I review some of the most frequently referenced interpretations of female genital cutting and suggest that ways of explaining such practices are limited. I indicate that the study of genital cutting practices is at an impasse--with absolutists arguing that intervention to stop the procedure is required and relativists asserting that outsiders have either no right or no ability to impose such change upon others. Data from fieldwork conducted among the Sara, an ethnic group from the south of Chad, highlight the diversity in genital cutting ceremonies that is not currently represented in the literature or acknowledged in popular discourse. Some of the Sara subgroups have only recently adopted female genital cutting. Young girls have been at the forefront of this movement, and parents, village elders, and religious and traditional leaders have been vehement opponents. The usual explanatory concepts--religion, tradition, patriarchy--are not referenced in participants' descriptions of their reasons for undergoing the procedure. Strategies for approaching the study of female genital cutting are presented as ways to bring fresh perspectives to the literature and to move discussion of female genital cutting beyond the current impasse.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Perceptions of ceremonial and nonceremonial uses of tobacco by American-Indian adolescents in California.

BACKGROUND: American-Indian adolescents have the highest tobacco use prevalence of all ethnic groups in the United States. Although much has been written about the role of tobacco in traditional Native-American cultures, little is known about modern-day perceptions of tobacco among American-Indian adolescents. METHODS: This study conducted focus groups of 40 American-Indian adolescents in urban and rural areas of Southern California. Participants discussed the role of traditional ceremonial tobacco use in their lives, the use of commercial tobacco as a substitute for sacred tobacco, the perceived safety of traditional versus commercial tobacco, and the perceptions of American-Indian imagery in tobacco advertising. RESULTS: Many American-Indian adolescents may be introduced to traditional tobacco use at early ages. Smoking is viewed as a sign of respect for the elders, but there are acceptable ways for adolescents to participate in ceremonies without inhaling smoke. Commercial cigarettes often are substituted for homegrown tobacco at ceremonies and events. Traditional tobacco was perceived as less dangerous than commercial tobacco because it does not contain chemical additives. However, respondents still perceived that smoking traditional tobacco and breathing tobacco smoke conferred health hazards. Participants found the use of American-Indian imagery in tobacco advertising offensive and stereotypical. Indian casinos were mentioned frequently as places where smoking occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Continued health education efforts are needed to decrease habitual use of commercial tobacco products and secondhand smoke exposure among American-Indian youth. Further research is needed to identify ways for American-Indian youth to participate in their cultural traditions while minimizing their risk for tobacco-related diseases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Childrearing practices and child health among the Hmong in Australia: implications for health services.

This study of cultural beliefs and practices related to childrearing and child health among the Hmong in Melbourne, Australia, used in-depth interviews and participant observation of 27 Hmong mothers and some Hmong traditional healers between 1993 and 1998. Traditional Hmong beliefs and practices include: taking notice of the birth date and time, placing a silver necklace on the newborn, not praising the newborn, not taking the infant out during the first 30 days, breastfeeding, the infant's sharing a bed with the parents, and a soul-calling ceremony on the third day after birth. All Hmong mothers follow cultural beliefs and practices to prevent the ill-health or death of their newborn infants, but some aspects of these practices have had to be modified to suit the new living environment in Australia. Health care professionals need to acknowledge the different ways of caring for a young child among the Hmong so as to avoid misunderstandings and to provide sensitive care. Hmong beliefs and practices also have implications for health promotion campaigns and can be a valuable source of ideas in the efforts to promote infant health and reduce infant deaths in Australia and elsewhere.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Acceptability of male circumcision as a tool for preventing HIV infection in a highly infected community in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Because a growing body of evidence suggests that male circumcision (MC) is associated with a reduced risk of HIV infection in Africa, it is being considered as a potential prevention tool to reduce the spread of infection. Its feasibility must therefore be assessed. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among a random sample of 482 men aged 19-29 years and 302 women aged 14-25 years, all living in the Westonaria district, South Africa. The prevalence of HIV infection was 11% among the men and 30% among the women. Trained personnel administered standardized questionnaires. RESULTS: Two-thirds of the 108 circumcised men (CM) were circumcised during a traditional ceremony and one-third in a clinical setting; the latter reported less pain and adverse outcomes. More than 70% of the non-circumcised men (NCM) stated that they would want to be circumcised if MC were proved to protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Twenty-nine per cent of the CM and 22% of the NCM believed that MC protects against HIV and other STD. Moreover, 30% and 18%, respectively, believed that CM could safely have sex with multiple partners. Multivariate analysis showed that CM were more likely to report many lifetime partners. CONCLUSION: Although the level of MC in the area is relatively low, it is perceived positively. A significant proportion of the CM felt protected by their circumcision, a feeling unfortunately translated into unsafe practices. Our results strongly suggest that interventions including MC should carefully address the false sense of security that it may provide.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

The fading links between tradition and oral health in Singapore.

Singapore is an island republic of 616 km2. Four main ethnic groups make up its population of 2.4 million; these are the Chinese, Malays, Indians and others. Singapore's successful housing, industrialization and modernization programmes have caused tremendous changes in the lifestyles and expectations of the people. This very success has rendered some traditional customs impractical and irrelevant. Older Indians and Malay women still chew betel-nut. During the Hindu Thaipusam ceremony a traditional practice of dental interest is the piercing of devotees' cheeks and tongues with slivers of silver. There is no pain, bleeding or permanent tissue damage. The Chinese pick their teeth, crack melon seeds and scrape their tongues every morning. They also drink large quantities of unsweetened tea. Yet they remain caries-prone. Singaporeans have recently adopted the practice of eating at all hours of the day and night. This may have a bearing on their future caries state. Singapore has two categories of dental practitioner: the graduate and the registered but unqualified dentist who is invariably of Chinese descent. The swaged metal crown over sound and diseased tooth structure is frequently the unfortunate trademark of the latter. Often abscesses and cysts develop beneath these crowns. Successful dental health programmes have produced a DMFT of 2.8 in 12-year-old children, which betters the DMF target of 3.0 set by WHO for the year 2000. The progressive outlook of Singaporeans may eventually reduce further the number of traditional practices which are harmful to oral health.

Adolescent↗