Adoption of outgroup norms provides evidence for social transmission in perinatal care practices among rural Namibian women.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives

How do new ideas spread in social groups? We apply the framework of cultural evolution theory to examine what drives change in perinatal care norms among Himba women in the Kunene region of Namibia. Access to formal medical care is on the rise in this region, and medical workers regularly visit communities to promote WHO-recommended perinatal care practices. This study investigates how various forms of social transmission affect women's uptake of medical recommendations concerning perinatal care.

Methodology

Based on interviews with one hundred Himba mothers, we used Bayesian multi-level logistical regression models to examine how perceptions of group preferences, prestige ascribed to outgroup conformers, interaction with the outgroup and access to

SUBMITTER: Hagen RV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7547623 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature