Ethnographic assessment and intervention of cultural communities

Ethnographic Assessment and Intervention

The author in enlisted government quarters as permanent party at Recruit Command, Great Lakes Naval Base which is located in Waukeegan, IL. Although they have their own room, they share common areas such as kitchen and the bathroom facilities. Unfortunately, the climate and building environmental conditions do not help with the health issue that is exercised induced asthma. In the Spring, the author began for the first time to have respiratory breathing problems, including congestion and shortness of breath. To alleviate this condition, the Troop Medical Clinic has prescibed an Advair (disk), Albuteral (inhaler) and Fluticasone (nasal spray). The purpose of this essay will be to suggest an ethnographic solution based upon the discipline of medical anthropology to guide Reserve Command in recommendations to guide their actions following their most recent annual base housing health and welfare inspection.

Usually, the base command is directly involved mainly with boot camp recruits and permanent party who are housed in the barracks. However, recently spates of asthma and other environmentally affected health situations have forced the command to take a second look at base enlisted, NCO (non-commissioned officer) and officer's quarters due to liability reasons. In addition, it allows the command to isolate possible causes to the ailments that be mitigated due to changes in base housing environments and community mess facilities.

In this ethnographic study, this author will have to adapt the experiences of other military and government agencies such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). However, some approaches will come straight from military know-how, including sanitation in base housing. For instance, dust mite and cock roach eradication is greatly aided by increased attention to sanitation in base barracks and housing. No doubt, this certainly something that the military does not lack experience in. Also, sailors and other personnel are more tolerant of government intervention in personnel affairs. In general, this is just another feature of military life. In other words, the military has more in the anthropological "tool kit" to work with in terms of intervention techniques and options than a civilian agency. In this case, the U.S. Navy has regulations that deal with the health and welfare inspection, especially where it dictates medically necessary action on behalf of military personnel in government quarters ("Secnavinst 5300.28d asn (m&ra)," 2005) .

First, we must look at the results of the inspection that identified asthma problems to begin with. Actually, the author was the culprit. On the base, June is a particularly difficult time for asthma sufferers on the base due to heightened pollen and dust levels due to plant growth and flower germination. Close to the enlisted apartment complex, there is a grove of cottonwood trees which give off airborne seedlings that contribute greately to the condition. In June of this year, the author began to suffer from their condition's symptoms and diagnosed with late manifestation induced asthma, something which not uncommonly occurs during a person's mid-twenties. To alleviate this, the medical regimen mentioned above was instituted. When the problem persisted, a check of the enlisted member's quarters was ordered to identify and mitigate contributing environmental factors. This is especially important for determining the origin of the disability, whether it is a manifestation of a preexisting condition or a service related injury. This will determine whether the service member will receive disability payments after they are released from active duty, are eligible for payment of disability from a state government or for no disability payments at all ("Veteran disability compensation," 2011). In addition, it is recommended that the command follow-up in one month with another health and welfare inspection in another month in order to work off the gigs" found in the previous month's inspection findings.

Oddly enough, this author has found that the intervention process bears some similarity to clinical interventions the Administration for Children and Families in a Comprehensive Family Assessment Process used by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services uses. In the wake of the serviceman's complaint and the health and welfare inspection, the intervention will be determined.

Talk with building residents to follow up on the health and welfare inspection findings. Check if there are other respiratory issues for residents.

Follow-up to make sure that the building maintenance personnel have changed filters and spare parts in the building environmental systems.

Review medical records and intervention methods. Make sure that medications are current and that medical therapies are in order, including the Advair (disk), Albuteral (inhaler) and Fluticasone (nasal spray) and a review records of health-seeking behavior exhibited by Navy members ("Comprehensive family assessment," 2011)

A follow up health and welfare inspection will be conducted in a month to measure the effectiveness of the intervention. At the inspection, the commander will fill out a checklist to report to the Troop Medical Clinic on the results. Success will be measured as the significant reduction of dust mites, fungi and other contaminants in the air, monthly changing and the successful fulfillment of medical orders for affected personnel.

Some side effects of the intervention will be both positive and negative. It will make enemies and fewer friends. Certainly, the increased cleanliness of the enlisted permanent party headquarters will make the asthma suffers happy. It will not make sailors happy who feel that this is an unnecessary invasion of privacy. Building maintenance personnel will probably resent having to change filters more often.

Certainly, the risks of being a serviceman at Great Lakes Naval Base are much less than elsewhere. However, medical risks are risks, no matter how small and the military has to do something to alleviate them in the name of good order, discipline and morale of the fighting force (Frese, & Harrell, 2003, 92).

More involved ethnographic assessments have been conducted to improve the quality of respiratory health among children in Ecuador. Ethnomedicine will help us build explanatory models of episodes. It will also provide us with a number of low-cost, effective methods that the residents themselves can employ to improve environmental health conditions with regard to respiratory issues. By understanding these episodes, we can better combat environmental factors that contribute to induced asthma. While Great Lakes Naval Base is certainly not lacking in resources to combat asthma, prevention is always the best way to go. In this vein, there are things that the personnel can do on their own to alleviate environmental contributing causes to cases of asthma in base housing.