The Department of Anthropology, History and Social Medicine,doctoral in Medical anthropology
指導教授
Kiefer, Christie W.
畢業年度
2000
附註項
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses
關鍵詞
Thai; Wellness; Sabaay; Smoking; Buddhist; Health promotion
摘要
Thais have experienced rapid economic growth, sociocultural change, and environmental degradation. Facing increasing trends in “habit-borne” diseases of modernity, Thailand has begun to shift from a curative health model toward health promotion which seeks to improve people's well-being. Few studies have ever explored what well-being means to ordinary people. This dissertation seeks to answer the questions: What makes working-class Thais feel sabaay (feel good and feel well), and does their sense of sabaay influence their health-related habits?
This study: (1) describes the dimensions of sabaay; (2) identifies its importance for good health; (3) uncovers differences between subgroups and commonality in values, feelings and health awareness; (4) explains differences between nonsmokers and smokers; and (5) proposes a culturally meaningful approach to health promotion.
To investigate these questions, I conducted anthropological observations and interviews periodically from 1990–1996 and during the 1997–98 socioeconomic crisis. Rice farmers in the Central region and Bangkok workers were selected using a two-stage sampling method for a total sample of 96 participants. I developed an “insight group method” tailored to Thai patterns of group behavior. This method generated qualitative and quantitative data used to analyze sabaay and health habits.
The participants valued feeling sabaay and good health as among the most important aspects of life. Some Thais had begun to realize that “the good life” of materialistic consumerism caused anxiety and diminished health. Feeling sabaay differed by age, gender, location and education. Participants said that their feelings and desires had stronger influences on their habits than did raw knowledge. Smokers did what felt good (sabaay) even when they had health knowledge to the contrary. Their sense of sabaay reflected images of material wealth and modernity projected through the mass media. Nonsmokers' feelings of sabaay and health awareness more closely reflected Buddhist values and teachings.
These findings suggest that working-class Thai nonsmokers derive a protective health benefit from adhering more closely to a Buddhist path of living well through the cultivation of healthful habits. Buddhism explains the roots of habits, suggesting that Buddhist health promotion could guide Thais toward beneficial habits based on a more healthful sense of sabaay.
