health conceptions and healthcare disparities

Location: Auckland, New Zealand

role: Ethnographer

Overview

Over the course of two months of research, I investigated conceptions of health held by indigenous Maori and non-Maori citizens, and examined disparities in health outcomes between different ethnic groups in Auckland, New Zealand. I conducted interviews and participant observation with physicians, patients, and alternative medical care providers throughout the city, attended health fairs, examined health-related articles and media, and met with a range of representatives of public and community health organizations. Through this work, I gained insight into the ideas New Zealanders held regarding “health” and “healthiness,” and the ways that their practices and behaviors – as well as institutions, structures, and systems in Auckland – both contributed to and posed challenges to achieving health goals.