Percepciones de salud materno-infantil y efectos de incentivos económicos en los Altos de Chiapas, México: Análisis Post-Prospera

Magdalena del Carmen Morales-Domínguez

doi:10.19136/hs.a23n1.5705

Authors

Magdalena del Carmen Morales-Domínguez Centro de Investigaciones Multidisciplinarias sobre Chiapas y la Frontera Sur, de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6605-7497

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19136/hs.a23n1.5705

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the perceptions of indigenous women and healthcare personnel in the Altos de Chiapas after Prospera, aiming to shed light on how the program changed maternal and child health care, specifically in relation to the presence or absence of economic incentives.

Materials and Methods: Grounded in grounded theory, the study utilized nine focus group interviews with women (54 participants) and nine semi-structured interviews with seven nurses and two doctors.

Results: The relationship between women and healthcare personnel within the Prospera framework was perceived as an obligation driven by economic incentives, rather than being viewed as shared responsibility. Intervention topics, such as health orientation talks and medical consultations that required attendance at the medical unit, saw a decrease in participation by most women after the program concluded. This shift in dynamics suggests that the relationship built around economic incentives failed to foster sustainable shared responsibility in maternal and child health care after Prospera concluded.

Conclusions: In the Prospera program, advantages were observed, such as maternal health monitoring, health talks, and the provision of vitamin supplements. However, the lack of effective shared responsibility and the perception of obligation conditioned by economic incentives influenced the decrease in attendance at medical units and the adoption of preventive care practices, potentially minimizing all the benefits gained. This finding emphasizes the importance of designing social interventions that go beyond mere obligation and promote active and sustainable participation in maternal and child health care.

Keywords: Maternal and child health; Social program; Economic; Incentive.

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Author Biography

Magdalena del Carmen Morales-Domínguez, Centro de Investigaciones Multidisciplinarias sobre Chiapas y la Frontera Sur, de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Graduated in Sociology from the Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH), she has a Master of Science in Natural Resources and Rural Development from El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) and has a PhD in Social Anthropology from the Research Center for Anthropological Studies. of the Southeast (CIESAS). She is a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Public Health (2020-2022). She belongs to the National System of Researchers and the State System of Researchers of Chiapas. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Multidisciplinary Research on Chiapas and the Southern Border, CIMSUR-UNAM. She has been a Consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank in the Mesoamerica Initiative and a professor and researcher at the Autonomous University of Chiapas. Her line of research focuses on the relationship between health, women and inequalities.