Thesis (BA Communication Arts) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2018

Most health communication literature utilized the biomedical approach in understanding intestinal capillariasis. Because of this, the communication efforts conducted in Barangay Lumaping, Jose Dalman lack culture-centeredness. Aside from that, a top-down approach is being utilized in the design and implementation of every health communication initiative in the community. The lack of culture-centeredness in health communication resulted in silencing the Subanon people from the discursive space by imposing new approaches, framing health in the realm of individual behavior change, and not taking into account their beliefs on intestinal capillariasis and the other factors that affect health illness. The researcher concluded that there is a need to draw a culture-centered approach in recommending health communication strategies that can be used to address the risks of intestinal capillariasis. The researcher explored the health beliefs systems and lifeworlds of the Subanon people and elicit their perspectives on how to communicate prevention of the said disease in their community as guided by mental model, lay epidemiology, and PEN-3 cultural model. Through the use of culture perspective in understanding intestinal capillariasis, study showed that there is an apparent lack of infrastructures and resources, including the promotion of health messages that take into account their cultural beliefs, practices and even their common modes of communication. The researcher come up with a clear and culture-centered communication strategies by identifying communication entry points based around the illness narratives of the Subanon people. The proposed multilevel collaboration and improvement of structural imbalances will ensure the sustainability of heath communicative initiatives intended for the Subanon people.