Quality of life among indigenous people in a city on the Bioceanic Route

Qualidade de vida em Indígenas de uma cidade da Rota Bioceânica

Calidad de vida de los pueblos indígenas en una ciudad de la Ruta Bioceánica

Abstract

Indigenous peoples face historical inequalities that impact their health and quality of life, including difficulties in accessing basic services, low levels of education, and food insecurity. This quantitative cross-sectional study analyzed the quality of life of 42 self-declared indigenous adults (18–60 years old) living in urban areas of Jujuy, Argentina, a city on the Bioceanic Route. Non-probabilistic convenience sampling was used, using a sociodemographic questionnaire and the WHOQOL-BREF. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed using Excel and SPSS. The mean age was 49.76 years (SD=13.21), with a predominance of women (66.7%) and complete secondary education (42.9%). The domain with the highest score was “Social Relations” (M=3.88; SD=0.79), followed by “Psychological” (M=3.47; SD=0.58). However, dissatisfaction with health (M=2.93), limiting physical pain (M=2.14), frequent negative feelings (M=2.19) and financial insufficiency (M=2.26) were observed. These factors negatively impacted the participants' quality of life. Therefore, it is concluded that there is an urgent need for intersectoral public policies that consider the sociocultural specificities of this population, aiming at promoting their physical, emotional and social well-being.

Keywords
indigenous peoples; health education; health behavior; Bioceanic Route