Focused ethnographic studies in the WHO Programme for the Control of Acute Respiratory Infections

Focused Ethnographic Studies (FESs), developed and sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) Programme for the Control of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI), have facilitated ethnographic research dedicated to determining key household behaviors and understandings surrounding respiratory infections--particularly pneumonia--in children. The FES design emphasizes anthropological theory and methods while limiting the scope and duration of fieldwork to a specific "program-relevant" research problem. Findings from FES studies provide evidence of the rich vocabulary of ARI-related signs and concepts, and the interplay of structural and cultural factors that affect care-seeking for children with pneumonia.