Cultivating Health : Cultural Perspectives on Promoting Health

* How can HIV infection be reduced among commercial sexworkers?
* Why are alternative therapies becoming increasinglypopular?
* How can Eastern philosophies and therapies be integrated intoWestern therapies?

These are just some examples of the practical problems andpolicy issues that Cultivating Health addresses. MalcolmMacLachlan situates health promotion and intervention within thecultural and community contexts in which they are applied. Drawnfrom across five continents and working in a variety ofdisciplines, the contributors are all leading authorities in theirfields. Together, they show how it is possible to enhance health byworking through the psychological conduit of culture.

Cultivating Health is divided into three sections. Thefirst section deals with the cultural context in which health mustbe cultivated, the second section deals with parallel approaches tocultivating health (pluralism) and the third and final sectionaddresses three very different and quite specific perspectives oncultivating health.

This book will be important for researchers, as well asundergraduate students and postgraduate students in the health andsocial sciences, especially psychology, social studies, medicine,anthropology and nursing, who need to provide health care acrosscultural boundaries.