Child survival: a village-level investigation of some cultural factors associated with morbidity and mortality in South India
Shariff, A.
Human Organization 46(4): 348-355
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0018-7259 DOI: 10.17730/humo.46.4.l6382k4x8671n852Document Number: 350665
This paper gives an overall picture of certain cultural factors affecting the morbidity and mortality levels of children in a village near Bangalore, Karnataka, India. It identifies and explains beliefs and practices which determine maternal and child care, infant feeding and health-seeking behaviour. The research is based on the idea that modern health policies must be designed to take into consideration those traditional factors which directly determine child health. The paper first looks at the general situation of child mortality and survival in India. It goes on to describe the study area and research methodology. It then looks at the effects of the introduction of government-sponsored health care and community-level health workers, at the nature, incidence and treatment of sickness in the village, and at the relation between all these and post-natal practices and child feeding. Finally, the paper concludes that if modern health practices are to penetrate into villages, demand generating strategies are essential, and such strategies can only be developed if there is adequate understanding of the social and cultural background which determines the health-seeking behaviour of the villagers.