Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.
This study is available via the UK Data Service QualiBank, an online tool for browsing, searching and citing the content of selected qualitative data collections held at the UK Data Service. This enhanced qualitative collection looked at beliefs and attitudes to health and medical care, inter-generational relationships, and social history of members of a grandmother generation. Blaxter was working on the hypothesis that ‘perceptions of health experiences might, in poor socioeconomic circumstance, create attitudes of apathy towards health care and conflict with health professionals, and that these attitudes might be transmitted through generations, especially among the female members of the family’ (Blaxter, 1982: 3). This collection contains all the interviews with grandmothers, but the original study also included interviews with daughters. The interviews covered health and social history, beliefs and attitudes to medical care, and intergenerational relationships. The grandmothers were asked extensive questions about their backgrounds including what jobs they had and where they lived. They were asked about their own health, childhood diseases, the health of other family members, episodes of illness and various remedies used. They also covered subjects including accidents, nutrition, dental care, and immunisation. More generally, grandmothers were asked about their views of their personal doctors and the National Health Service, including how medical care changed after the introduction of the NHS. The grandmother-daughter relationships were also explored, focusing on whether the grandmothers offered medical advice, and if they did, whether it was accepted by their daughters.
Main Topics:
The interviews cover health and social history, beliefs and attitudes to medical care, and intergenerational relationships. There are discussions of the grandmothers' backgrounds, including jobs they held and where they lived. Many aspects of health are addressed: their own health, childhood diseases, the women's attitudes toward doctors and the National Health Service, including how medical care changed after the start of the NHS. The grandmothers are asked about causes of diseases, remedies and treatments used, and their thoughts on staying healthy. Relationships with daughters are covered, focusing on whether the grandmothers offer medical advice, and if they do, whether it is accepted by their daughters.
Purposive selection/case studies
Face-to-face interview
Transcription of existing materials
Audio recording
