Product Description: Despite all the medical and media attention focused on the rate of overweight and obesity in the African American population, African American images and body types are greatly influencing changes in the fashion, fitness, advertising, television and movie industries...read more

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The field of medical anthropology is a discipline that incorporates the perspective of a wide range of approaches―from anthropologists, sociologists, epidemiologists, physicians, nurses, public health administrators, biologists, and many others, including the general public―to health care. This approach places culture and cultural relativism at the forefront and center of every model, and examines the ethics and fairness of health care issues associated with the African American population.The author examines data on mortality, census, preventive health, alternative medical practices, clinical research, and intervention from a comprehensive perspective. Finally, fieldwork in a public health department setting provides the medical anthropologist with a unique opportunity to investigate cultural and health issues of a particular population in a public health setting. The author explains the steps and procedures for conducting an applied medical anthropological study, based on his experience doing fieldwork projects over the past 15 years. (view table of contents)

Based upon research in two major cities (Detroit and Houston), this study investigates the multitude of factors (cultural-historical, psychosocial and sociocultural) which influences whether or not an African American seeks health care from a variety of sources. It is intended for health professionals, health administrators, social workers, and the general public who want to know more about African American health beliefs and practices and are, perhaps, attempting to construct intervention strategies for local communities. Contents: Southeastern Michigan; Urban African American Health Care; Cultural Historical Background of Detroit African Americans; Research Methods; Health Expressions: A Quantitative Analysis; Health Care Seeking Patterns: A Qualitative Analysis; Intervention Strategies for Urban African Americans.