In
Tourism and Maternal Health
, Allison R. Cantor examines prenatal health in Monteverde, Costa Rica, in the context of a tourism-driven nutrition transition. In today’s fast-paced, globally connected society, even rural regions like the central highlands of Costa Rica can be affected by the rise in chronic noncommunicable diseases.Cantor highlights the connection between these diseases and changes in local food systems. She stresses the key role that culture plays in finding ways to mediate the negative impacts of a changing food environment, and stresses the important role that practice-oriented research plays in unpacking the complex relationship between global policy and community health.