Population and health in the developing world: research perspectives for medical anthropologists

Because of the health consequences of population changes, medical anthropologists should find many demographic studies of relevance to their own research interests. Using the research priorities identified by the International Review Group of Social Science Research on Population and Development as a framework, this paper discusses opportunities for anthropologists to make significant contributions to both demographic knowledge and population policy in the developing world. The research priorities include descriptive studies, program evaluation, formulation of population theory, analysis of the political processes involved in population policy development, and studies of the relations among development style, population processes and population policies. There is an explicit recognition of the need for studies that go beyond demographic statistical associations, and an appeal for the grounded research that anthropologists are trained to provide. Anthropologists interested in population research should get some basic training in demography. Their most fruitful contributions are likely to be made as members of multidisciplinary teams involved in population research or planning.