Maternal and child health: an urgent call to citizen action

Abstract

Introduction: In the province of La Rioja, Argentina, during 2013, mothers and children died of preventable causes, registering one of the highest rates of maternal and infant death in the country. Objective: Identify socio-economic, cultural factors and access to health services and their impact on maternal and child mortality. Material and method For data collection, structured scheduled interviews are used, in addition to non-participant observation. The scientific method used is descriptive, analytical and observational. Result: Nuclear-type families, precarious housing, mostly with electricity and drinking water, scarce sewage system. Among the social problems were found: adolescent pregnancy that limits school continuity, little job opportunity for young people, few health professionals in the interior of the province, gender violence, alcohol abuse. The data found correlates with similar findings in the northern and coastal provinces of the country, where the gaps in social inequality are more evident. It is suggested the formation and training of referents in situ for containment, reflection and health promotion workshops with an emotional focus for children in their first seven years of life. Conclusion: The low socioeconomic level, and the barriers in access to health, are related to maternal and infant death from preventable causes. With a view to the Sustainable Development Goals, citizen action assumes a commitment to reduce it from the prevention and promotion of maternal and child health.