A cultural analysis of the relationship between children's perceptions of healh, illness and medicine and related behaviors and the current medical environment in two remote Japanese islands

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26350932
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Childhood science (childhood environment science)
• Research Institution: Sapporo Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Michinobu Ryoko 札幌医科大学, 医療人育成センター, 准教授 (70336410)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 加賀谷 真梨 新潟大学, 人文社会・教育科学系, 准教授 (50432042)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): OHNISHI Mayumi 長崎大学, 医歯(薬)学総合研究科, 教授 (60315687)
• Research Collaborator: NISHIYA Eiji 元利尻町教育委員会, 利尻町立博物館, 学芸員 ; NARA Miyako 札幌医科大学, 写真作家
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 子ども / 身体 / 健康 / 医療 / 自然 / エスノグラフィ / 人類学 / 公衆衛生学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study investigates how children perceive their body and health, illness and medicine, and how socio-cultural factors such as conventional health care knowledge and current medical environment have impacted their bodily knowledge and health behaviors. Ethnographic fieldwork of daily activities of school-aged children was conducted in Rishiri and Hateruma, two remote islands in Japan. The evidence suggested that there was a cross-generational transmission of knowledge of body, health and self-care among children from both islands. It specifically showed that conventional child-rearing practices had significant impact on the children’s knowledge and health behaviors. Considerable cultural influence originating from areas beyond the islands was observed as well, such as cultural behaviors of mothers who came from the main island. Community-based primary health care should be strengthened with good referral services to pediatric medical care systems in cities.

Free Research Field

子ども学、医療人類学、グローバルヘルス、エスノグラフィ