 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Cathy Coyne, PhD and Cristina Demian Popescu, MD. Department of Community Medicine, West Virginia University, School of Medicine, 3801 HSS P.O. Box 9190, Morgantown, WV 26506, 304-293-2604, ccoyne@hsc.wvu.edu
Appalachians have a higher risk than non-Appalachians of obesity and smoking, factors associated with higher chronic disease incidence and mortality rates including some cancers, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Conversely, Appalachians have lower risk of illness and injury from drinking and drinking and driving as compared with non-Appalachians. It is believed that the social, cultural, and economic environments are associated with these risks, either as promoting or protective factors. The purpose of this study was to examine social and cultural factors in southern West Virginia that may be associated with health and illness behaviors. A series of 10 focus groups of 6-8 people were conducted: five groups of men and five groups of women. We examined factors such as faith, family values and patriarchy, factors which have been attributed to rural Appalachians in earlier studies. A strong sense of place, strong family ties, and belief in God emerged from all the groups, regardless of gender. Patriarchy did not emerge as strongly as anticipated. We will present a discussion of our findings within the context of Appalachian stereotypes and provide insight into the culture of rural Appalachians living in southern West Virginia.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Culture, Rural Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.