ABSTRACT
Although Acute Lower Respiratory Infection (ALRI), especially pneumonia, is one of the two chief causes of infant and child mortality in the Third World (Leowski 1986; Monto 1989; Stansfield 1987), it has only become the focus of international health activity recently. Prior to the late 1980s, little health social science research was directed toward cultural and behavioral aspects of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI), which encompasses both upper and lower respiratory infections.1 Initial attempts to study behavior related to ARI often took the form of KAP (Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice) surveys. For example, in the late 1980s the UNICEF office in New Delhi requested that we assist an indigenous social marketing firm in developing a multi-state KAP survey of ARI in India. Based on prior research in South India, we expressed reservations about the utility of a KAP survey for generating trustworthy data on ARI identification and care management. The diffuse nature of ARI, the pervasiveness of cough, and its link to many illnesses make interviewing about respiratory-related illness problematic. What was needed, we argued, was research on the utility of various methods for generating data on ARI knowledge, sign/symptoms recognition, perception of severity, home management, and health care seeking.
