title: [Cognitive anthropology applied to the study of the causes of arterial hypertension in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In medical anthropology, culture is shared knowledge and it can be used to study cultural consensus for development of preventive and control actions in chronic diseases such as high blood pressure. The aim of this study was to characterize the semantic structure and level of cultural consensus regarding the causes of arterial hypertension in persons >15 years of age belonging to families of laborers from "Colonia Fabrica de Atemajac."
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a propositive sample of 36 persons >15 year of age of both genders and divided into three age groups, we conducted an anthropological study. A structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were applied in order to obtain the semantic model and cultural consensus regarding the causes of arterial hypertension.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The semantic structure of the model links the causes of arterial hypertension to emotions and certain risk conditions that vary in relation to their arrangement as elements of related semantics nuclei according to age group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show evidence of one semantic model in regard to the causes of arterial hypertension and different from the biomedical cognitive pattern. These types of models must be taken into account for establishing cultural comprehensive health policies.
authors: Unidad de Investigación Social, Epidemiológica y en Servicios de Salud, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social Jalisco, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
authors: Javier Eduardo
authors: JE
authors: García de Alba-García
authors: Ana Leticia
authors: AL
authors: Salcedo-Rocha
authors: Luis Alberto
authors: LA
authors: Vargas-Guadarrama
authors: Javier Eugenio
authors: JE
authors: García de Alba-Verduzco
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012660:Semantics; D055815:Young Adult