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Web End = J Immigrant Minority Health (2016) 18:10661075 DOI 10.1007/s10903-015-0259-0
http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s10903-015-0259-0&domain=pdf
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Culture and Dehydration: A Comparative Study of Cada de la Mollera (Fallen Fontanel) in Three Latino Populations
Lee M. Pachter1,2 Susan C. Weller3 Roberta D. Baer4 Javier E. Garcia de Alba Garcia5
Mark Glazer6 Robert Trotter7 Robert E. Klein8 Eduardo Gonzalez9
Published online: 4 August 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015
Abstract A sunken soft-spot or fontanel is a sign for dehydration in infants. Around the world, folk illnesses, such as cada de la mollera in some Latin American cultures, often incorporate this sign as a hallmark of illness, but may or may not incorporate re-hydration therapies in treatment strategies. This report describes a study of lay descriptions of causes, symptoms, and treatments for cada de la mollera in three diverse Latin American populations. A mixed-methods approach was used. Representative community-based samples were interviewed in rural Guatemala, Guadalajara, Mexico, and Edinburgh, Texas, with a 132 item questionnaire on the causes, susceptibility, symptoms, and therapies for
cada de la mollera. Cultural consensus analysis was used to estimate community beliefs about cada. Interviews conducted in rural Guatemala (n = 60), urban Mexico (n = 62), and rural Texas on the Mexican border (n = 61) indicated consistency in thematic elements within and among these three diverse communities. The high degree of consistency in the illness explanatory models indicated shared beliefs about cada de la mollera in each of the communities and a core model shared across communities. However, an important aspect of the community beliefs was that rehydration therapies were not widely endorsed. The consistency in explanatory models in such diverse communities, as well as the high degree of recognition and experience with this illness, may facilitate communication between community members, and health care providers/public health intervention planners to increase use of rehydration therapies for cada de la mollera. Recommendations for culturally informed and respectful approaches to clinical communication are provided.
Keywords Ethnomedicine Folk illness Dehydration
Hispanic Latino Culture
Background
Diarrhea is the second leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age throughout the world, and most of these deaths are actually due to dehydration and uid loss [1]. Treatment for dehydration consists of uid...