September 26, 2007
Professor: Preserve culture, beliefs when promoting health to India’s rural residents
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Improving a person’s health in India, or in any country, needs to start with an understanding of culture, says a Purdue University health communication expert.
“India is certainly growing as a global center for economics, education and business, but parallel to this growth is an increasing gap in health care for India’s rural residents,” says Mohan Dutta, associate professor of health communication who is studying the health beliefs of low-income rural Indians. “Today’s health-care technology that is used to communicate and to treat people is amazing, but there are many cultural barriers that prevent some rural groups from accessing these benefits.”
Dutta is coordinating a large multi-site study that is examining health beliefs among low-income residents of India. One group being studied is the Santali people of Midnapur, West Bengal. They are low-income, and many of them are field workers.
