Barriers to Healthcare Access for Indigenous Older Women: A Qualitative Study in Zapopan, Jalisco
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52379/mcs.v10.620Keywords:
older indigenous women, barriers to helthcare access, aging, socila exclusion, healthcare servicesAbstract
Introduction: Research on older indigenous women in urban settings was limited. This group faces cumulative disadvantages that constrain access to health care. Objective: To identify the barriers to health care access faced by older indigenous women in urban peripheries. Methodology: A qualitative narrative study was conducted with six indigenous women aged 58 to 83 living in an urban settlement in Zapopan, Jalisco. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and a deductive thematic analysis was performed based on barriers to access and a comparison between rural and urban areas. Results: In places of origin, services were intermittent, and infrastructure was insufficient. In the city, greater availability was accompanied by confusing procedures, restrictive institutional timelines, and administrative costs, combined with informal incomes and a lack of financial protection. Distance to medical services, transportation, and dependence on family members made access to health services difficult. Cultural and communication barriers persisted due to the predominance of technical Spanish, as well as implicit literacy requirements. Many participants interpreted pain and limitations as part of aging and prioritized care only when conditions worsened, reducing care for chronic diseases. Conclusion: Barriers did not disappear with urban migration; they were reconfigured. The combination of procedures, institutional timelines, and transportation conditions resulted in differentiated access and fragmented treatments. The need for effective portability of the right to health was indicated.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Hernández-Delgado, YJ, Pelcastre-Villafuerte, B.E.
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