Premium
Sociocultural aspects of areca nut use
Author(s) -
Williams S.,
Malik A.,
Chowdhury S.,
Chauhan S.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
addiction biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.445
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1369-1600
pISSN - 1355-6215
DOI - 10.1080/135562101200100147
Subject(s) - sociocultural evolution , areca , nut , context (archaeology) , meaning (existential) , promotion (chess) , sociocultural perspective , psychology , sociology , geography , political science , engineering , anthropology , structural engineering , archaeology , politics , law , psychotherapist
This paper aims to describe the sociocultural context of areca nut use through exploring people's norms and values and the meaning underlying a wide range of different practices. A historical review is followed by an examination of more recent evidence, including quantitative and qualitative research conducted in the United Kingdom. It is concluded that some reports involving the various uses of areca nut and the conclusions drawn are confusing and that future studies need to be more explicit. While a sound scientific background is required, important sociocultural and religious issues around areca nut use must also be understood if health promotion initiatives are to be considered.