Evaluating access to health care in mothers and caregivers of children under five years of age in rural communities of Yucatán, Mexico

Abstract

Populations in rural communities have more limited access to health care and attention than urban populations. The present study aimed to evaluate barriers to access to health care in mothers and caregivers of children under five years of age, twelve months after an educational intervention. 

The study was carried out from February to September 2022, and 472 mothers from eight communities in the state of Yucatán, in the southeast of the United Mexican States, participated. A comparative analysis was carried out on help-seeking times, obstacles to reaching it, and illnesses in children. 

The results revealed that the main barriers to access to care were long times to decide to seek help, lack of financial resources to pay for the transfer to another health unit, lack of someone to accompany the mother or caregiver when the child needed be transferred, and lack of transportation for the transfer. Disease knowledge remained at different levels in the eight communities; the significant differences occurred in four communities, one specifically for heart defects. 

It was concluded that, in the rural populations studied, there are barriers to access to health care which have to do with neglected social determinants, such as those related to conditions of gender, income, social support network, and the health system. Access to health care must be universal, so public health interventions should be aimed at reducing the barriers that prevent the population from demanding and using services in a timely manner.