Troubling "environments": postgenomics, Bajan wheezing, and Lévi-Strauss

Area of Science:

• Genomics and Environmental Health
• Sociology of Science
• Public Health Research

Background:

• Postgenomics shifts focus from genes alone to gene-environment interactions influencing health outcomes.
• Integrating environmental factors enhances genomic research's relevance to public health, policy, and disparities.
• Understanding diverse perspectives on 'environment' is crucial for effective health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how multiple communities involved in a U.S. genetics of asthma study in Barbados construe 'environment'.
• To analyze the cultural and social meanings attributed to environmental factors in postgenomic research.
• To understand how these interpretations shape the project's relevance and potential interventions.

Main Methods:

• Ethnographic research methodology.
• Case study of an American genetics of asthma study conducted in Barbados.
• Analysis of perspectives from U.S. researchers, Bajan officials, medical practitioners, and patient participants.

Main Results:

• Identified plural and competing interpretations of 'environment' among study stakeholders.
• Demonstrated how these diverse environmental constructions animate the postgenomic project.
• Highlighted the project's framing as an intervention addressing racial injustice, household practices, and pollution related to asthma.

Conclusions:

• The postgenomic approach gains cultural significance through the varied understandings of environmental influences on health.
• Acknowledging and analyzing these plural environments is key to addressing complex health issues like asthma.
• This research underscores the importance of integrating social and cultural contexts into genomic research for public health impact.