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Research Centre for Biotechnology, Society and the Environment

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This page:UHH > Research Centre for Biotechnology, Society and the Environment > Research > Research FG Medicine > Research Projects FG Medicine > Aetiology and Prevention

Aetiology and Prevention

Competing hypotheses on the relation between internal and external factors in the case of Metabolic Syndrome.

Project Management: Regine Kollek

Person in Charge: Martin Döring

Start of the Project: 01. Nov. 2006

End of the Project: 30. Sept. 2009

Third-Party Funds: This project is supported by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).

Involved Institutions

Research Group Medicine and Neurosciences, FSP BIOGUM in cooperation with the Institute for European Ethnology at the Humboldt University Berlin, the Science Centre of Berlin for Social Research and the Charité Berlin

Brief Description

This project assumes that conceptual understanding of a disease varies. It is thus advisable to take into consideration the varying strategies for prevention.

In line with this hypothesis, the Metabolic Syndrome is examined as follows:

  • How is the disease conceptually understood? What hypotheses exist concerning its cause? Of which theories do these hypotheses take reference and how are they structured?

  • The analysis of these hypotheses takes into account the varying conceptual understandings of the cause, the relation between internal and external factors, and the representation of the patient along with their surrounding environment.

  • The analysis is also in search of new ideas for prevention strategies and behavioral patterns, which arise from the hypotheses.

To summarize, this project analyses the complex relation between biomedical conceptualization of disease and the representation of disease on a personal and social level. It aims to formulate political strategies for courses of action concerning health issues.