Cultural determinants of diarrhea in coastal communities in the context of global environmental change

• Grant number: 12/21879-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2013
• End date: June 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Sociology - Other specific Sociologies
• Principal Investigator: Sonia Regina da Cal Seixas
• Grantee: Gabriela Farias Asmus
• Supervisor: Brigt Dale
• Host Institution: Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais (NEPAM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Nordland Research Institute, Norway
• Associated to the scholarship: 10/09558-6 - Climate variability and diarrheal diseases: patterns, vulnerability and trends in Caraguatatuba county - SP, BP.DR

Abstract

Diarrhea represents a serious health-related issue worldwide, not just because it is among the leading causes of childhood mortality, but also because it shows high rates of morbidity in many countries. They are notoriously sensitive to climatic fluctuations and traditionally associated to social inequalities, which is reflected in the differential access to environmental sanitation services, health services, among others. Moreover, it is believed that cultural factors are also important in an explicative frame for the incidence of diarrhea in a given community. Despite of that, there are few studies that have aggregated social, biological and cultural factors in a single analysis. Through this internship, we intend to acquire theoretical background and cultural data analysis skills with Norwegian researchers who also work on issues related to health and quality of life in the context of climate change. After the analysis of data previously collected in Brazil, we expect to develop a common explanatory framework (theoretical) of the incidence of diarrhea in coastal communities of Brazil and Norway, discussing the challenges, limitations and advantages of this epidemiological approach. (AU)