'The Shape of Things to Come: Chronic Diseases in the Global Perspective,' Feb. 13

Wednesday, Feb. 13, 4-5:15 p.m.
Beatrice McDonald Hall, Room 104

The Anthropology Department will be sponsoring a public talk by Lesley Weaver, candidate for a faculty position in cultural anthropology. The title and abstract for her talk are as provided below.

"The Shape of Things to Come: Chronic Diseases in Global Perspective" by Lesley Jo Weaver, Department of Anthropology, Emory University.

Chronic and non-communicable conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and mental health problems, are the major illnesses predicted to impact human health in the coming decades. Indeed, they are already the leading causes of suffering and death in the U.S. and many other countries. This talk draws on original research among women with diabetes in New Delhi, India, to explore how behavior, cultural context and biology come together around the issue of diabetes self-management. Drawing on the observation that compliance to therapeutic regimes is strikingly low, it explores the question, "Why don't people do things that they know are good for them when not doing those things has serious health consequences?"