Hi Marian,

There is a wealth of material available on this topic and I have personally found many texts helpful.  Here are several that have been beneficial overall. First, most of the things written by Peter Conrad.  I think few sociologists are as wide ranging in this area is he happens to be. His writing is excellent and he covers many topics that should be of interest to you.  I would recommend the following from Conrad: "The Sociology of Health and llness", "Deviance & Medicalization", and "The Medicalization of Society".  As an introductory book...more than introductory really...I would recommend Kenneth Gergen's "An invitation to Social Constructivism".  finally, Daniel Moerman's "Meaning. Medicine and the Placebo Effect" is a real jewel that will change your perspective.....Moerman has written extensively on similar issues in medicine and native Americians....I believe he is an Anthropologist.  I hope these suggestions help. Good luck!

Jack

Thank you for your suggestions... I would look up these readings 

Please let me know if the following references/sites are useful to you:

1.  Health and Health Seeking Behaviour among Tribal Communities

http://www.ticijournals.org/JTICI/I4A1.phpHealth is defined as 'a state of complete physical, mental and social ... Also most tribal communities define health, medical care and aetiology of ... Some of the disease patterns and health concerns among the tribals are discussed below.

2.  A Perspective on the Tribal Health Care Practices Manish K. Verma

..

http://srfaurangabad.org/journals/4thissue/8.pdfand ecology. It conveys a meaning of disease not simply left to the scrutiny of medical ... noted that 'the health status of any community is influenced by the interplay of ... Even though tribal are poor but culturally and socially they are very rich.

3.  Health and Health Seeking Behaviour among Tribal Communities in ...

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267574486_Health_and_Health_Seeking_Behaviour_among_Tribal_Communities_in_India_A_Socio-Cultural_PerspectiveTata Institute of Social Sciences. Abstract. Health defined as a state of 'well being' is understood from a functionalist ... the tribal communities in India, their health issues and status, and health seeking behaviour from socio-cultural perspective.

Dennis

Dennis Mazur

Data Health and Health Seeking Behaviour among Tribal Communities...