Health Culture: Conceptualization and Prospects of Understanding in Medical Sociology and Anthropology

Abstract

The study of health cultures and the factors influencing them is a relatively new field of knowledge, dedicated to researching the mutual influence of culture and health. The article is devoted to the concept of health culture and its modern understanding in anthropological and sociological research. The author considers the evolution of the health culture concept based on modern research and outlines the key topics of scientific works devoted to the study of health culture and the peculiarities of its understanding. The research shows that culture influences all stages of disease treatment and health maintenance, from the choice of language and behavioral patterns to understanding the uniqueness of the disease and diagnoses by the individual. The prospects of this concept are determined based on various aspects of its consideration. Currently there is no generally accepted definition of the health culture concept. Peoplel's individual characteristics and individual understanding of health in the context of different cultures and their differences are considered to be important aspects of the concept. At the same time, in anthropological and sociological studies, the very concept of culture, as fundamental and formative for health behavior is replaced by individual meanings of understanding one’s health.