TY - JOUR T1 - The neglect of culture in global health research and practice JF - BMJ Global Health JO - BMJ Global Health DO - 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009914 VL - 7 IS - 9 SP - e009914 AU - Judi Aubel AU - Dixon Chibanda Y1 - 2022/09/01 UR - http://gh.bmj.com/content/7/9/e009914.abstract N2 - Summary boxThe impact of global health strategies is constrained by the incongruity between critical facets of cultural context, global health practitioners’ inadequate understanding of the culturally-grounded worldview of communities and the strategies they develop to promote family and community well-being.For many years, in the field of global health, anthropologists have articulated the need for greater attention to be given to culture, however, this critical parameter continues to be neglected in research and practice.Predominant conceptual models of health and illness at the global level reflect Euro-centric values of individualist societies and overlook the structure and dynamics of family and community systems in non-western, collectivist cultures in the Majority World.Decolonization of global health requires reframing of research and interventions to ensure that they reflect the structure, roles and resources of indigenous cultures in the Global South.Global research and funding institutions should support more culturally-grounded research and programs to increase their relevance to local communities, their effectiveness and subsequent impact.For many years, the need for global health research and practice to give greater attention to culture has been articulated; however, this critical parameter continues to be greatly neglected.In a village in southern Senegal, Grandmother Tobo proudly states that ‘Culture is the most important thing for an individual. Culture is the foundation for life’. Culture’s far-reaching influence on human existance is also suggested by Airhihenbuwa, ‘Culture is a system of interrelated values active enough to influence and condition perception, judgement, communication and behavior in a given society’1 (p 3). Related to global health and development, Cameroonian psychologist Nsamenang asserted, ‘to intervene appropriately is to ground theory, research and practice in the local culture and context’2 (p 75). We posit that congruity between global health interventions and cultural context increases community engagement and subsequently contributes to programme effectiveness.For … ER -