Healthcare and Health Problems from the Perspective of Indigenous Population of the Peruvian Amazon

A Qualitative Study

Bibliographic Data

ID15460289
AuthorsBárbara Badanta (0000-0001-6981-8378, Universidad de Sevilla), Giancarlo Lucchetti (0000-0002-5384-9476, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora), Sergio Barrientos-Trigo (0000-0001-7618-3091, Universidad de Sevilla), Elena Fernández‐García (0000-0002-7922-2663, Universidad de Sevilla), Lorena Tarriño‐Concejero (0000-0003-0158-5744, Universidad de Sevilla, corresponding author), Juan Vega-Escaño (0000-0002-6399-8571, Röda Korsets Högskola, corresponding author), Rocío De Diego-Cordero (0000-0002-3453-003X, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla)
Year2020
Volume17
Issue21
Pages7728-7728
Publication date2020-10-22
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph17217728
PMID33105800
OpenAlexW3094046371
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited31

Indigenous communities usually experience higher levels of mortality and poorer access to healthcare services compared to non-indigenous communities. This study aims to understand the most prevalent health problems and their treatment in the Asháninka indigenous communities of the Peruvian Amazon. We conducted an ethnographic study in order to explore the perceived health problems, the use of traditional medicine and the resources offered by the official Peruvian healthcare system. Field notes and semi-structured interviews were used. A total of 16 indigenous and four non-indigenous people were interviewed, and interpretative analysis was used to identify themes. The Asháninka community is an overlooked population, which, due to distance restrictions, misconceptions and ethnical disparities, is far away from an appropriate healthcare system and is subjected to acute medical conditions such as infections and gastrointestinal problems. This group tends to seek traditional medicine, mostly herbal medications and traditional healers. The use of a health professional is seen as a last resort. Although the official Peruvian health system incorporates community participation strategies to improve the healthcare of indigenous people, the shortage of material, human resources and cultural sensitivity makes this difficult. Healthcare strategies should be devised and implemented in order to minimize health inequality in this population

Economic growth · Environmental health · Health care · Indigenous · Population · Qualitative research · Social science · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Traditional medicine · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Dental Health and Care Utilization · Medicine · Nursing · Public Health and Social Inequalities · Ecology