Unintended consequences: Exploring the tensions between development programs and indigenous women in Mexico in the context of reproductive health

Smith‐Oka, Vania

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.03.026

Cited by 45 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…(Field notes, in particular of an encounter of feminist community activists and academics [mestiza, indigenous, and international] "Encuentro de mujeres trabajando con mujeres," June 25 and 26, 2010, in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas). For more information on the program, please see, Smith-Oka (2009);Gutierrez (2010). 21.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crossing Boundaries During Peace and Conflict

Hoewer¹

2014

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crossing Boundaries During Peace and Conflict

Hoewer¹

2014

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“…Women in the lowest socioeconomic groups were the most likely to breastfeed exclusively likely due to cultural factors that incentivize breastfeeding and financial constrains that limit access to infant formula (Huo et al, 2008;Smith-Oka, 2009). Prior studies in Colombia found that woman with higher levels of education were more likely to stop exclusive breastfeeding and introduce artificial infant formula due to the constraints of maternal leave and the need to return to the workplace (Niño, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial Infant Formula Consumption and Breastfeeding Trends in Ecuador, A Population-Based Analysis from 2007 to 2014

Ortíz-Prado¹,

Stewart-Ibarra²,

Ramirez³

et al. 2016

GJHS

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Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze trends in infant breastfeeding and artificial infant milk consumption in Ecuador from 2007 to 2014. Methods:This descriptive observational study includes all the available data collected and adapted from the National Health and Nutrition Survey of Ecuador, ENSANUT, the Ecuadorian National Institute of Census and Statistics, the national report of the International Marketing Services and data from Enfarma EP. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to determine sociodemographic distribution and temporal trends. Results:In Ecuador 54% of children initiate breastfeeding during the first hour of life, and 43% of children aged five months are breastfed exclusively. 76% of children under one month of age and 60% of children under six months consume artificial infant formula. Over the last 8 years infant formula consumption has tripled in Ecuador reaching 59.6 million units sold at a cost of $530,100,000 USD from 2007 to 2014. Conclusions:Breastfeeding practices in Ecuador are not complying with WHO recommendations and infant milk formulas consumption has risen significantly since 2007, despite active campaigns by the public health sector to educate women as to the benefits of breastfeeding.

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“…They are indigenous women, and thus at the bottom strata of Mexican social/economic hierarchy. They face a changing social structure, brought about by migration, economic welfare programs, and changing medical landscape [9]. And ultimately, their domestic duties and workloads take a toll on their bodies, making them susceptible to ill health.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They also frequently point to the central role of equilibrium—bodily and social—in maintaining people’s well-being. Fewer studies, however, analyze the connection between women’s reproductive health and the broader notions of bodily equilibrium [5,8,9]. This article contributes to this discussion by providing an analysis of two reproductive health issues that reflect Nahua indigenous women’s concerns with bodily equilibrium and its connection to the local sociopolitical context.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An analysis of two indigenous reproductive health illnesses in a Nahua community in Veracruz, Mexico

Smith‐Oka

2012

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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BackgroundThis article describes the local concepts indigenous Nahua women hold regarding their reproduction. Specifically it provides a description of two indigenous illnesses—isihuayo and necaxantle, it discusses their etiology, symptoms, and treatments, and it analyzes them within the local ethnomedical framework and sociopolitical context. A perception of female vulnerability is shown to be an underlying shaper of women’s experiences of these illnesses.MethodsThis research took place in a small Nahua village in Mexico. Qualitative data on local perceptions of these illnesses were collected by a combination of participant observation and interviews. Ethnobotanical data was obtained through interviews, and medicinal plants were collected in home gardens, fields, stream banks, and forested areas. The total study population consisted of traditional birth attendants (N = 5), clinicians (N = 8), and laywomen (N = 48).ResultsResults showed that 20% of the village women had suffered from one or both of these illnesses. The article includes a detailed description of the etiology, symptoms, and treatments of these illnesses. Data shows that they were caused by mechanical, physical, and social factors related to a woman’s weakness and/or lack of support. Traditional birth attendants often treated women’s illnesses. Five medicinal plants were salient in the treatment of these illnesses: Ocimum basilicum L., Mentzelia aspera L., Pedilanthus tithymaloides (L.) Poit., and Piper umbellatum L. were used for isihuayo, while Solanum wendlandii Hook f. was used for necaxantle.ConclusionsThe research on these two ethnomedical conditions is a useful case study to understanding how indigenous women experience reproductive health. Reproductive health is not simply about clinically-based medicine but is also about how biomedicine intersects with the local bodily concepts. By describing and analyzing indigenous women’s ill health, one can focus upon the combination of causes—which extend beyond the physical body and into the larger structure that the women exist in.

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Unintended consequences: Exploring the tensions between development programs and indigenous women in Mexico in the context of reproductive health

Cited by 45 publications

References 9 publications

Crossing Boundaries During Peace and Conflict

Crossing Boundaries During Peace and Conflict

Artificial Infant Formula Consumption and Breastfeeding Trends in Ecuador, A Population-Based Analysis from 2007 to 2014

An analysis of two indigenous reproductive health illnesses in a Nahua community in Veracruz, Mexico

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