Articulating silences: experiential and biomedical constructions of hypertension symptomatology. Med Anthropol Q 2002 Dec;16(4):458-75
Date
12/26/2002Pubmed ID
12500617DOI
10.1525/maq.2002.16.4.458Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0036886840 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 33 CitationsAbstract
In this article, we explore the flexible configuration of a local knowledge system about hypertension symptoms, foregrounding it against prevailing biomedical assertions regarding the asymptomatic or "silent" nature of hypertension. The complex and coherent knowledge system held by older African Americans living in a southern, rural community stands in contrast to the current scientific discourse and local biomedical perspectives on hypertension symptomatology. The older African American participants in this study apply local knowledge of hypertension symptomatology to make health decisions nearly every day. Despite this, most biomedical practitioners maintain a distance from these lay sources of knowledge, often remaining stalwart in their refusal to recognize the existence or influence of symptoms. We conclude that authoritative knowledge ultimately lies in the minds and bodies of the elders, who have encountered symptoms as guideposts that direct action, rather than with a biomedical "reality" that is yet unresolved.
Author List
Schoenberg NE, Drew EMMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AgedAged, 80 and over
Attitude to Health
Chronic Disease
Educational Status
Female
Florida
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Hypertension
Male
Poverty
Qualitative Research
Rural Population
Surveys and Questionnaires
