AUTHOR=Bates Benjamin R. , Marvel Diana L. , Nieto-Sanchez Claudia , Grijalva Mario J. TITLE=Painting a Community-Based Definition of Health: A Culture-Centered Approach to Listening to Rural Voice in Chaquizhca, Ecuador JOURNAL=Frontiers in Communication VOLUME=4 YEAR=2019 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/communication/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2019.00037 DOI=10.3389/fcomm.2019.00037 ISSN=2297-900X ABSTRACT=

The terms “health” and “well-being” are commonly used in health communication research. These terms, despite calls for a consensus definition, are rarely explicitly defined. We argue that, instead of imposing a universal definition of health or well-being, communities can be better served if we adopt a culture-centered approach (CCA) and listen to their local, contextualized definitions of health. To demonstrate community articulation of a definition of health, we offer an analysis of wall art created by and with a community and our service and research team. After understanding a definition offered by a rural community in Chaquizhca, Ecuador, we articulate how a community-based definition of health can become a culture-centered way to operationalize definitions offered by the World Health Organization in ways that better serve local communities.