NPR

How To Get People To See A Doctor When They Don't Want To

A new study looks at why the Tsimane people of Bolivia often avoid seeking medical care — and what might change their minds.
The Tsimane, who live in the Bolivian Amazon, often avoid going to the doctor — even if there's free medical care available in their community.

The Tsimane people, descendants of the Incas, are among the most isolated people in Bolivia. They number about 16,000 and live in 80 mostly riverbank villages of 50 to several hundred people scattered across about 3,000 square miles of Amazon jungle. They are forager-farmers who fish, hunt, cut down jungle trees with machetes and produce an average of nine children per family, says Michael Gurven, chair of the Integrated Anthropological Sciences Unit at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Gurven has visited and studied the Tsimane people for 16 years. Last month, he and colleagues published a paper in the journal on why these impoverished people, who live), often won't take advantage of medical care, even when it's free and offered by people they've come to trust.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
Kickoffs Will Look Radically Different In The NFL Next Year. Here's How And Why
For years, the NFL has tweaked kickoff rules to reduce injuries, resulting in kickoffs that were safer but more boring. The changes aim to re-introduce excitement while keeping injuries low.
NPR2 min read
A Bus Plunges Off A Bridge In South Africa, Killing 45 People
An 8-year-old child is only survivor. The passengers were headed to an Easter festival before the bus plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames.
NPR2 min readAmerican Government
House Will Send Impeachment Articles Against Mayorkas To Senate On April 10
The House passed the two articles along party lines in February, but proceedings stalled amid government funding negotiations.

Related Books & Audiobooks