Doing health anthropology : research methods for community assessment and change / Christie W. Kiefer.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Why anthropology? -- 2. Positivism : the laboratory theory of knowledge -- 3. The naturalistic theory of knowledge : anthropology -- 4. The study of real people in natural situations -- 5. Designing a research project -- 6. The researcher in and beyond the community -- 7. Collecting data -- 8. Analyzing data -- 9. The theory of needs -- 10. Community change : the theory of hope -- 11. Action anthropology -- 12. Teaching health anthropology -- 13. Professionalism in naturalistic social science.

"These are critical questions in confronting the social causes of ill health, yet many health students do not have the appropriate training in the anthropological methods and techniques that help answer them. Christie Kiefer has written Doing Health Anthropology to prompt students to enter the community already prepared in these methods so that they can accurately ask and solve these important questions themselves." "Using this book as a guide, students learn to integrate cultural anthropology with health science and come to their own conclusions based on field research. The book includes common pitfalls to avoid when conducting interviews and observations, and ways to formulate and answer research questions, maintain field notes and other records, and correctly analyze qualitative data. With the help of this text, practitioners and students alike will be able to integrate cultural anthropology methods into their health science investigations and community health initiatives."--BOOK JACKET.