Social Science Lessons from Diarrhea Research and Their Application to ARI

Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is one of the chief causes of morbidity and mortality in the Third World. Community-based ARI programs have recently been called for by international health agencies. At this initial stage of program development, it is prudent to consider a series of lessons learned by anthropologists during over a decade of research on diarrheal disease. Following a brief description of the nature and magnitude of ARI as an international health problem, 15 lessons are highlighted. Existing data on ARI recognition, management, and evaluation are presented as a means of suggesting why these lessons are relevant for the planning of ARI-related interventions and education programs. The relevance of these lessons extend beyond ARI.