An ethnographic study of illness perceptions and practices of Yemeni-Arabs in Michigan

The purpose of this study was to explore the illness practices of Yemeni-Arab Americans and to generate illness themes based on informant reports. A convenient sample of 30 Yemeni-Arab American women was selected from Dearborn, Michigan. A content analysis of interview data was the basis for data analysis. The Arabic language was used in all the interviews due to enability of the informants to speak English. Thirty-three illness practices were identified by the study informants. Analysis of interview data indicated that informants relied heavily on religious explanations of illness practices. Several cultural themes were deduced from collected data. Among these were belief in an omnipotent deity who is the cause of all that is, confidence in the rational mind of man and empirical knowledge, susceptibility to disease based on gender, reliance and trust in health care providers and desirability of adapting to change.