The construction of health knowledge in middle class families

This paper examines some of the complexities involved in the relationship between knowledge, both 'lay' and 'scientific', and everyday health relevant behaviour. It is based on a multi-interview qualitative study of middle class family groups. The study explored the ways in which images of health, the socio-cultural context of behaviour and the constraints of daily life provided the background to health-relevant behaviour. The sample comprised a randomly selected group of home-owning, middle class couples, each with two children. Three rounds of semi-structured interviews were carried out with spouses during an 18 month fieldwork period. Their children, age range 4-12, were also interviewed. The main focus of the study was on the development of health-relevant beliefs and behaviours in the context of everyday life, particularly domestic life. In this paper some characteristics of how respondents perceived, interpreted and evaluated health knowledge are described. Illustrations are given of the differences between respondents' initial accounts of their 'usual' behaviours and the detailed descriptions of their daily lives obtained in later interviews. It is concluded that knowledge about health was not necessarily translated into behavioural practices, even in a supposedly health promoting environment. Qualitative examination of the socio-cultural context of daily behaviour may add to our understanding of the gaps between knowledge, attitudes and practices.