Exploring how Culture Influences Religious and Spiritual Beliefs in the Indian Health Care Setting

Using ethnographic techniques, I studied the religious and spiritual aspects of health care at the N.R.I. Academy of the Sciences in Chinakakani, Andhra Pradesh, India, to gain perspectives on how culture influences people’s beliefs about health. It became apparent that “cultural customs” accounted for people’s similar beliefs concerning recovery from disease and injury, irrespective of their diverse religious orientations. With this understanding of culturally-influenced beliefs, perhaps culturally competent health care can be provided both in South India and the U.S. Exploring how Culture Influences Religious and Spiritual Beliefs in the Indian Health Care Setting