1st Edition
Researching Cultural Differences in Health
Significant concerns about the poor health and prevalence of chronic illness amongst a number of ethnic minority populations have led to heightened debates about how best to improve the situation. For some the answer is to see their experiences as part of the general social class inequality in health, but recent evidence questions the extent to which social class can explain the variations in health which ethnic minorities experience.
Researching the Cultural Differences in Health offers a range of accounts of how people in ethnic minority groups perceive and manage their illness. Some of the chapters focus on Bangladeshi, and other South Asian groups, as well as Afro-Caribbeans and Irish people.
The illness conditions discussed include diabetes, hypertension, sickle-cell disorder, mental illness and coronary heart disease. This book will provide invaluable reading for those involved in providing health services for ethnic minorities, and all lecturers and students in medical and nursing education as well as those studying sociology and social administration.
Biography
David Kelleher is Reader in Sociology, London Guildhall University. Sheila Hillier is Professor of Medical Sociology at St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry.
'Varied in its approach to cultural issues and health, and would be excellent for various assignments on Health and Equal Opportunities' - Jane Reeves, Telford Arts & Technical College
'Essential reading for community nurses who are involved in providing services for patients from minority ethnic groups' - Journal of Community Nursing
'Provides some thought provoking insights into the many dilemmas presented by conducting social research into cultural differences.' - Critical Social Policy
'Worth reading because of the themes it addresses and the ways in which they are addressed ... reflecting on what is different is an important step in moving away from ethnocentricism.' - Psychology and Health
'The chapters inform multicultural clinical practice, providing a useful overview of relevant cultural issues pertinent to both primary and secondary care ... the subject matter is easy to follow and some important challenges are made to all health professionals who are working towards practice that is based on sound evidence.' - Clinical Effectiveness in Nursing
'The volume is essential for all those who carry out cross-cultural health research. It is to be welcomed for its subtle approach recognising the importance of culture for an understanding of the meanings and interpretations people use to make sense of the world as well as the limitations of culture as a general variable in snap-shot research.' - International Journal of Social Psychiatry Vol 45:1 1999
