Anthropological foundations of public health; the case of COVID 19

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Robert Hahn, Emory University; Monica Shoch-Spana, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-02-23
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101331
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Preventive Medicine Reports
• Volume: 22
• Grant/Funding Information: None.
• Keywords: Methods; COVID 19; Design; Analysis; Anthropology; Evaluation; Public health
• Research Categories: Anthropology, Medical and Forensic; Health Sciences, Public Health; Environmental Sciences

Abstract

Objectives The complex societal spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. indicates a need to recognize sociocultural forces to best understand and respond to the pandemic. This essay describes four principles of anthropology and sister disciplines that underlie the theory and practice of public health. Methods Research following anthropological and related approaches is reviewed to provide examples of the four principles from COVID-19 in the U.S. Results 1. What counts as sickness, disease, injury, pathology, is fundamentally a matter of historically situated social ideas and values. 2. The ways in which societies are organized is a fundamental source of pathologies and their distributions within societies. 3. Conversely, health conditions can substantially alter the organization of societies. 4. Public health responses are social processes that affect intervention outcomes. Conclusions Anthropological approaches are recommended to address several facets of public health practice: problem analysis, intervention design, evaluation, and the public health enterprise itself.