ROLE OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE EXPLANATION OF CHILDHOOD NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCY BY INDIAN MOTHERS

This study examines the role of indigenous knowledge in the explanatio n of the cause and treatment of childhood nutritional deficiencies by schooled and unschooled Indian mothers, born and educated in India, bu t living in Canada. The mothers were interviewed and the explanations of childhood diseases were verbally recorded, transcribed, and analyze d using cognitive methods of analysis. The explanations of unschooled mothers related to the interpretations of the traditional Ayurvedic sy stem of health and disease practiced in India. Among mothers with form al education, explanations with respect to traditional theory prevaile d, along with the emerging, naive biomedical knowledge. However, the t raditional and the biomedical knowledge are not integrated into a cohe rent structure. The implications of the findings, in relation to child nutrition and health education, are discussed.