Health care, culture and society: understanding death rates by intestinal infections in Ecuador

Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to digital@library.tamu.edu, referencing the URI of the item.Includes bibliographical references.Issued also on microfiche from Lange Micrographics.Intestinal infections are a leading cause of death and a major health concern among the people of Ecuador. To improve health levels in the country, it is important to develop an understanding of the reasons behind these problems with intestinal infections. This thesis explores the variations in the rates of death by intestinal infections across the provinces of Ecuador and accounts for some of the reasons behind these provincial variations. The data for my analysis are taken from Ecuadorian census and vital statistics materials from 1982 and 1990. Through my data analysis, I find that not only Western medical care, but also social and cultural factors help to account for the provincial variations in rates of death by intestinal infections. My results suggest that Western medical practices play a critical role in reducing rates of death by intestinal infections, but that the social and cultural contexts of the people served by these practices must be accommodated for if intestinal infections are to lose their dominance as a health concern in Ecuador