The Role of Culture in Chronic Illness

Provider an patent cultural approaches to disease etiology and illness affect compliance with western medical diagnoses and treatments. this article provides cross-cultural examples of these impacts on several chronic illnesses and then argues for a dual medical approach for treatment. A case study of a Mexican American man with cystic fibrosis is presented to demonstrate how culture influences his and his family's understanding of disease etiology and of his illness experience and, consequently, his dual medical approach to treatment.