Social representations of malaria in the Guna indigenous population of Comarca Guna de Madungandi, Panama

Malaria Journal

Research

Amanda Gabster¹  Rolando Torres²  Josue Young²  Lorenzo Cáceres²  Ricardo Márquez²  José E. Calzada³  Margarita Griffith⁴ 

[1] Department Proteomic and Genomic, Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Research, 0816-02593, Panama City, Republic of Panama;Department of Medical Entomology, Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Research, 0816-02593, Panama City, Republic of Panama;Department of Parasitology, Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Research, 0816-02593, Panama City, Republic of Panama;Universidad Latina de Panamá, Panama City, Republic of Panama;

关键词: Indigenous;    Guna;    Madungandi;    Comarca;    Social representation;    Malaria;    Perception;    Practice;    Tradition;    Panama;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12936-017-1899-4

 received in 2016-09-19, accepted in 2017-06-07,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe purpose of the study was to recognize the social representation of the Guna indigenous population by identifying cultural elements related to malaria, in order to create an intercultural approach to any health intervention to control and prevent the disease.MethodsThis qualitative study has an anthropological focus that used participant observation, informal conversations, focus groups, interviews, in-depth interviews with key actors. Analyses included review, classification and categorization of interviews.ResultsMalaria within the Guna culture is in harmony with several cultural factors, such as magic, religion, beliefs, myths, and nature. The health system must include these factors in its intercultural approach to ensure the sustainability of anti-malarial intervention measures. Until this is not properly addressed, the Guna population of Madungandi will remain a permanent source of risk for malaria transmission in this region and for the rest of the country.ConclusionThe findings of this study contribute new variables that can facilitate an intercultural approach to improve the perception of malaria in the indigenous population of Comarca Guna de Madungandi, Panama.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2017