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Anthropology in Public Health

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Anthropology in Public Health is the interdisciplinary study that applies anthropological methods and theories to understand health behaviors, cultural practices, and social determinants of health within populations. It aims to inform public health policies and interventions by considering the cultural context of health issues.
lightbulbAbout this topic
Anthropology in Public Health is the interdisciplinary study that applies anthropological methods and theories to understand health behaviors, cultural practices, and social determinants of health within populations. It aims to inform public health policies and interventions by considering the cultural context of health issues.

Key research themes

1. How can medical anthropology enhance culturally responsive and equitable mental health interventions in diverse global contexts?

This research theme explores the integration of medical anthropological frameworks to address cultural beliefs, social determinants, and healthcare practices that shape mental health outcomes. It emphasizes understanding stigma, community engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration as essential components for developing culturally competent mental health interventions that are adaptable across varied societal contexts.

Key finding: This paper demonstrates that cultural perceptions of mental illness—such as spiritual or moral interpretations—significantly influence help-seeking behaviors and acceptance of medical interventions worldwide. It provides... Read more
Key finding: The research highlights how cultural elements—religious beliefs, values, indigenous knowledge, and traditional medicine—are central to understanding and addressing health disparities in African indigenous populations. It... Read more
Key finding: This study reveals that the sociocultural context—including indigenous health beliefs, traditional healers, and community-based health practices—critically shapes health-seeking behavior in the Ho Tribe. It stresses the... Read more
Key finding: Through ethnographic inquiry, this work elucidates indigenous women's roles in sustaining biodiversity and community health via traditional ecological knowledge and environmental stewardship. It connects indigenous worldviews... Read more

2. What methodological and epistemological contributions does anthropology offer to public health research and policy, especially regarding complex health systems and health equity?

This theme investigates how anthropological methods—critical ethnography, realist enquiry, and integrative qualitative approaches—expand understanding of health beyond biomedical models by incorporating social, political, and economic contexts. It addresses challenges in evidence-based global health paradigms and advocates for interdisciplinary frameworks that incorporate local meanings, power relations, and contextual mechanisms crucial for effective health policy and program evaluation.

Key finding: The paper critically maps realist evaluation methodologies alongside medical anthropological practices in low- and middle-income countries, illuminating their shared emphasis on context-mechanism-outcome configurations. It... Read more
Key finding: This collection critiques the dominance of quantitative, metric-driven evidence in global health policy, highlighting how such paradigms often marginalize experiential knowledge and obscure power dynamics. It reveals how... Read more
Key finding: This review outlines key contributions of medical anthropology in advancing critical, cross-cultural, people-centered, and transdisciplinary approaches to health and social theory. It highlights the field’s methodological... Read more
Key finding: Drawing on auto-ethnography, the article argues that anthropology’s practice extends beyond textual production to active engagement and social intervention. It advocates for anthropologists’ roles as agents of change through... Read more

3. How do social determinants, stigma, and systemic inequalities intersect with infectious diseases and public health interventions to affect health outcomes?

This research area focuses on the interplay among social stigma, economic and political inequalities, and the biological realities of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and COVID-19. It examines how neoliberal policies, cultural contempt, marginalized identities, and intersecting vulnerabilities structurally influence disease incidence, access to care, and health system functioning. Anthropological inquiry unveils critical socio-political dynamics that traditional biomedical frameworks may overlook, informing more just and effective public health strategies.

Key finding: This commentary integrates the concept of neoliberalism with the social experience of tuberculosis, highlighting how economic policies contribute to social exclusion and heightened stress (allostatic load) among patients. The... Read more
Key finding: Ethnographic research reveals how French TB control operates within a republican state system marked by paradoxes of equality and exclusion, especially targeting immigrant populations. The study demonstrates how healthcare... Read more
Key finding: This paper applies the syndemic framework—originally formulated in medical anthropology—to COVID-19, elucidating how social, economic, and racial inequities interact synergistically with biological disease processes. It... Read more

All papers in Anthropology in Public Health

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 240 pregnant women in 44 health institutions in Ondo, who have presented with signs and symptoms of malaria. A set of interviewer-administered, semistructured questionnaire was used... more
Panel 2 -Laboratorio paesaggio: connessioni comunità-territorio nell'antropocene. Ripensare la relazione tra le generazioni e l'ambiente con gli approcci applicativi delle scienze sociali.
Artigo de opinião saído nos Fiário As Beiras de 12/7/2025.
Durante sete anos acompanhei uma crescente e curiosa rede que articula a Organização Mundial da Saúde, neurocientistas, máquinas de ressonância magnética, protocolos clínicos e políticas públicas. Identifiquei a partir deste heterogêneo... more
El objetivo de este artículo es analizar el contexto socio político y económico que vincula la salud a la violencia en dos comunidades indígenas Jivi (también conocidos como guajibos playeros) ubicadas en los llanos de la frontera... more
O presente artigo parte de um debate que visa compreender como os regimes disciplinares da antropologia conduzem o pesquisador a seguir um protocolo específico de questões e interesses em suas pesquisas. O objetivo, aqui, é discutir sobre... more
Il Primo Report sull’Antropologia Professionale in Italia, attraverso la presentazione dei dati emersi dalla Survey condotta tra il 2020 e il 2022, approfondisce la condizione dei lavoratori e delle lavoratrici con formazione... more
Nossa proposta é colocar em dialogo e identificar confluências no pensamento desde os corpos-territórios de comunidades tradicionais marisqueiras e antropologias e produções acadêmicas sensíveis às corporalidades para levar a sério o... more
This chapter describes research, intervention, and evaluation projects conducted over a decade by a collaborative Indo-US group that are focused on the prevention of HIV/STI among married women and men living in urban poor communities in... more
In response to the serious toll diabetes takes on health and resources, researchers increasingly are examining physical and psychological pathways that affect and are affected by diabetes, including stress. Although biomedical researchers... more
Los ambientes obesogenicos son todas las condiciones del entorno que propician la malnutricion e ignoran y desalientan el ejercicio fisico claves para la salud de nuestra sociedad, evidenciados por la epidemia de obesidad asociada a la de... more
Ementa da Disciplina: Cultura, preconceitos e etnocentrismo. Saúde e cultura. Cultura brasileira. Valores, preconceitos, tabus, crenças e religião. Objetivos: Introduzir conceitos básicos de antropologia, como cultura e etnocentrismo e... more
A partir de uma abordagem comparativa, este estudo investigou a realidade das mulheres submetidas a uma medida de segurança no Pará e no Distrito Federal. Para tanto, foi realizada uma etnografia de e em documentos concernentes aos... more
Il contributo illustra il ruolo dell’educazione alle relazioni e alla sessualità nel promuovere salute e benessere nel mondo giovanile e nel prevenire la violenza di genere e l’omofobia. Verranno esaminati i principi su cui si fonda... more
This article is a first approximation to an anthropological analysis of the Mission Barrio Adentro , the organizational strategy that, since 2003, has tried to respond to the serious deficiencies of the national health system. Within the... more
Il presente documento è stato sviluppato nell'ambito del progetto ISEX - Integral Sex Education and Empowerment in Schools (2020-2023), cofinanziato dal programma Erasmus+ della Commissione Europea, numero di progetto... more
Nombrar lo vivo, lo muerto ya no se puede nombrar, pero animales sí se pueden nombrar: mono, oso, todo eso. Lo que está vivo se puede nombrar. Y si yo tengo mi perro y muere ya yo no puedo nombrarlo porque si yo nombro a mi perro muerto,... more
Se presentan los fundamentos de la concepción y propuesta de creación del Centro en el Estado Amazonas de Venezuela , las razones de su vinculación con el Programa de Investigación y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales del Territorio... more
Resumo O artigo aborda práticas do serviço Rede de Atenção à Pessoa Indígena – vinculado ao Departamento de Psicologia Experimental do Instituto de Psicologia da Universidade de São Paulo –, no período de 2015 a 2017, visando discutir os... more
Este texto discute as concepções normativas do autismo como déficit e como ausência de humanidade acompanhando os questionamentos propostos por Mel Baggs, ativista autista estadunidense, em vídeos compartilhados em rede social pública.... more
ocupa la cabecera del municipio Alto Orinoco dentro del Estado Amazonas (Venezuela). Los yanomami, grupo étnico más numeroso de la zona, no tienen residencia fija en dicho lugar pero sí acuden regularmente a él, por ser el espacio más... more
Resumen Se presenta aquí los resultados del trabajo realizado sobre las implicaciones que el cuerpo posee en el ritual chamánico dentro de las comunidades yanomami de Mabetiteri y Mamashatioteri, ubicadas ambas en el Alto río Ocamo,... more
Voz, mito y tradición en el imaginario yanomami. Un ejercicio de historia oral Voice, myth and tradition in the yanomami Imaginary. An exercise of oral history
Voz, mito y tradición en el imaginario yanomami. Un ejercicio de historia oral Voice, myth and tradition in the yanomami Imaginary. An exercise of oral history
Les défis posés par la mesure en évaluation Conclusion RÉFÉRENCES BIBLIOGRAPHIQUES "Réflexions anthropologiques sur la fétichisation des méthodes en évaluation." (1993) 6 Raymond MASSÉ "Réflexions anthropologiques sur la fétichisation des... more
Differentiated care is a fundamental principle for non-colonizing care for indigenous populations. One of the challenges in this field is reproductive planning, as it involves tensions between collective and individual wills, in addition... more
É de surpreender que as duas palavras que nomeiam a temática deste dossiê, antropologia e medicamentos, não tenham se aproximado de forma ainda mais visível antes 1. Objeto comum em estudos na área de economia além, claro, de farmácia e... more
A coleção Brasil Plural tem como objetivo dar visibilidade às pesquisas realizadas pelo Instituto Nacional de Pesquisa Brasil Plural (INCT/CNPq). Busca retratar as diferentes realidades brasileiras em toda sua complexidade e contribuir... more
Desigualdad en el acceso a recursos e impactos territoriales V A gu a, género y desi gu aldades: estudio en la región náhuatl de Zongolica, Veracruz Judith. Domínguez Serrano VI Migración, desi gu aldad y acción colectiva en la Mixteca... more
CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by Göteborgs universitets publikationer-e-publicering och e-arkiv pueblan la parte Sureste del Estado en las tierras bajas y en las serranías del Escudo Guyanés (ver... more
Em face da complexidade de um diagnóstico de transtorno mental, uma série de mudanças é requerida na dinâmica familiar, cuidados especiais da saúde daquela pessoa, tratamentos medicamentosos, terapias, atenção diferenciada à sua higiene,... more
El objetivo de este texto es contribuir a repensar la cuestión del sida y la diversidad sociocultural, teniendo como referencia empírica la etnia indígena Bakairí (Karib), que cuenta con aproximadamente 700 individuos, y que vive en la... more
El objetivo de este texto es contribuir a repensar la cuestión del sida y la diversidad sociocultural, teniendo como referencia empírica la etnia indígena Bakairí (Karib), que cuenta con aproximadamente 700 individuos, y que vive en la... more
Résumé.De nombreux pays sont engagés dans «l'exportation ou l'importation» de personnels de santé en réaction à la «crise de l'offre de cette main‐d'œuvre» dans les économies industrialisées. Mais la répartition des gains... more
Prima di iniziare questa breve rassegna dei dibattiti sul tema dell'"impegno" politico e della "militanza" dell'antropologo, vorrei fare qualche osservazione generale, che può servire da premessa, penso necessaria. Inizierei dal... more
CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by Göteborgs universitets publikationer-e-publicering och e-arkiv pueblan la parte Sureste del Estado en las tierras bajas y en las serranías del Escudo Guyanés (ver... more
Culturaliser l'épidémiologie psychiatrique. Les systèmes de signes, de sens et d'actions en santé mentale". Un article publié dans l'ouvrage sous la direction de François Trudel, Paul Charest et Yvan Breton, La construction de... more
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