Culture and rural health

• Published in: The Australian journal of rural health 2012-10, Vol.20 (5), p.243-247
• Main Authors: Farmer, Jane, Bourke, Lisa, Taylor, Judy, Marley, Julia V, Reid, John, Bracksley, Stacey, Johnson, Nicole
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aboriginal culture; Aboriginal health; Australia; Australia: Social policy; Biomedical research; Cultural Characteristics; Cultural differences; Cultural factors; Cultural sensitivity; Culture; education; Ethnicity; Health; Health Policy; Health Status; health system; Humans; Indigenous peoples; Medical research; Minority & ethnic groups; nationalities and ethnic groups; Nursing; Public Health; Rural communities; Rural conditions; Rural Health; Rural health care; rural sociology; Sensitivity; Unity
• ISSN: 1038-5282; 1440-1584
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1584.2012.01304.x

This paper considers the role of culture in rural health, suggesting that the concept and its impacts are insufficiently understood and studied. It reviews some of the ways that culture has been considered in (rural) health, and states that culture is either used ambiguously and broadly – for example, suggesting that there is a rural culture, or narrowly – indeed perhaps interchangeably with ethnicity, for example Aboriginal culture as a unity. The paper notes that, although culture is a dynamic social concept, it has been adopted into a biomedical research paradigm as though it is fixed. Culture is often treated as though it is something that can be addressed simplistically, for example, through cultural sensitivity education. Authors suggest that culture is an unaddressed ‘elephant in the room’ in rural health, and that exploring cultural differences and beliefs and facing up to cultural differences are vital in understanding and addressing rural health and health system challenges.