Traditional Beliefs Concerning Health and Illness Among Members of the Circassian Community in Israel |
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Authors: | Yafa Haron Rivka Eisikovits Shai Linn |
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Institution: | (1) Unit of Epidemiology, at The Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa;(2) Haifa University, Haifa |
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Abstract: | Objective: To understand the cultural context of illness in a homogeneous ethnic community, the Circassians. This is the first study of health perceptions and beliefs among Circassians. The Circassians arrived in Palestine from the Caucasus Mountain region more than a century ago. They constitute an endogamous group, whose members live in relative cultural isolation in two small villages in northern Israel, preserving their language and traditions. Design: Twenty-one elderly community members (men and women) were interviewed using open-ended interviews. Results: It was found that kutze (internal bodily resilience) is the central health-related concept and as such constitutes the main building block of a healthy and resilient community. Conclusions: By focusing on this specific community, the relationships between health beliefs and social organization were explored. Our findings highlight the need for the development of treatment approaches and/or health education that are deeply embedded in the cultural context, with special emphasis on the group's value infrastructure, life habits and health-related beliefs when studying various ethnic populations. |
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Keywords: | Circassians cultural epidemiology ethnicity health qualitative |
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