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MA/PhD Theses Abstracts of Current Students & Alumni |
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Anderson, Margaret. 1981 - HEALTH AND DISEASE IN SOUTHEAST ASIAN REFUGEES
Abstract: The purpose
of this thesis is to serve as an informative reference for professionals
concerned with the resettlement of Southeast Asian Refugees. Information
gleaned from researching the health status of 240 Southeast Asian Refugees
is presented in this thesis. The knowledge is the result of reviewing
health statistics from the Pinellas County Health Department's screening
program for refugees. In addition, independent field work consisting
of key informant interviews with Vietnamese refugees on the topic of
culture-bound ideas on health and disease is presented. The initial chapters
of the thesis give an overview of the problem as well as defining the
anthropological perspective taken in approaching the subject.
The significant health statistics reveal that intestinal parasites
and tuberculosis are major personal health problems for the Indo-Chinese
refugees. Other health problems are also discussed and put in perspective
in the report. The health culture of the Vietnamese as described by
informants who have migrated from their homeland is explored. Also,
Vietnamese approaches to ill health as well as treatment protocols
unique to this cultural group are documented.
The conclusions are twofold. First, emphasis on health screening should
shift from identifying only infectious disease to a concern for the total
health status of these people. Health assessment should include checks
for general poor health fro~ genetic predisposition for disease, susceptibility
to endemic diseases of Asia, and follow-up studies to assess adverse
effects of drugs used in prevention and treatment of illnesses. Second,
it should be recognized that the Southeast Asian refugees are a composite
of Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese and Ethnic Chinese and that each of
these cultures have their own approaches to health and disease that differ
from orthodox western medical practices. Other recommendations are presented
that will assist the medical community in effectively treating refugee
health problems as the group becomes integrated into American culture.
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