ABSTRACT
Anthropologists could do more to amplify their findings by participating in all aspects of research, especially by influencing the design of surveys. This chapter explores the use of ethnographic study findings in the Mass Media and Health Practices Project in Honduras. Diarrheal diseases are the most common illnesses of children in Honduras and throughout the world. The Diarrheal Diseases Control Program of the World Health Organization estimates that there are 1.6 billion episodes of diarrheal disease in the world (excluding China) in children less than five years of age each year. The chapter discusses the ways the findings from the ethnographic studies were incorporated into the successful oral rehydration therapy promotion project. It examines the issues which impeded the use of specific anthropological findings and led to the failure of certain components of the project. The chapter concludes with suggestions to improve the use of anthropology in primary health care programs.
