The concept of health of parents and community leaders of rural mayan population of Yucatan

Abstract

The human being has the right to health, in order to provide adequate health education, the concept of health must be identified, for which reason community leaders and parents are a key element in achieving it.  Objective: Describe the concept of health of fathers/mothers of families and leaders of a Mayan rural population of Yucatan. Material and methods: Qualitative study with a descriptive phenomenological approach, was carried out in Chan San Antonio, Yucatan, Mexico. 14 parents and 6 community leaders participated. Data collection was carried out with individual interviews and focus groups, using a semi-structured interview guide and field diary. Results: The informants, who are all women, perceive the concept of health as the habits they practice at home. The healthy person is defined based on what they eat and their daily life activities; and the disease is attributed to the weakness of the people and the climate of the region. Conclusions: It was reaffirmed that part of the concept of health is related to the perspectives and experiences that have been acquired in its cultural and social context