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Making Sense of Health Problems: Folk Cognition and Healthcare Decisions

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Cognitive Informatics in Health and Biomedicine

Part of the book series: Health Informatics ((HI))

Abstract

In this chapter we present research on the roles that traditional and folk knowledge play in comprehension and use of health concepts in making health related decisions. The studies were conducted with children and mothers in several less developed countries of Africa, Asia and South America. Issues relevant to personal healthcare, such as the abilities for following health-related instructions, conceptualizations of causal mechanisms of disease, traditional beliefs and practices of family planning, and the assessment of health related cognitive activities are the focus of the chapter. We discuss these issues in the context of the relation between folk beliefs and modern biomedical knowledge. We also present some thoughts on ways to advance in our understanding of health cognition in relation to health beliefs and behavioral outcomes for further research, and the potential benefits that such understanding can provide for more adequate health promotion intervention efforts.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, N2L 3G1, ON, Canada

    Jose F. Arocha Ph.D.

  2. Center for Cognitive Studies in Medicine and Public Health, The New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Vimla L. Patel Ph.D., D.Sc.

  3. Department of Biomedical Informatics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Vimla L. Patel Ph.D., D.Sc.

  4. Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Vimla L. Patel Ph.D., D.Sc.

Authors
  1. Jose F. Arocha Ph.D.
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  2. Vimla L. Patel Ph.D., D.Sc.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jose F. Arocha Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Vimla L. Patel

  2. University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Jose F. Arocha

  3. Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Jessica S. Ancker

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Arocha, J.F., Patel, V.L. (2017). Making Sense of Health Problems: Folk Cognition and Healthcare Decisions. In: Patel, V., Arocha, J., Ancker, J. (eds) Cognitive Informatics in Health and Biomedicine. Health Informatics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51732-2_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51732-2_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-51731-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-51732-2

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