title: Cultural perceptions and negotiations surrounding sexual and reproductive health among migrant and non-migrant indigenous Mexican women from Yucatán, Mexico.
abstract: Information regarding sexual and reproductive health of indigenous women from Mexican sending and US receiving communities is limited. This research aims to explore the perceptions of indigenous women from US migrant receiving and Mexican migrant sending communities regarding their sexual health experiences and reproductive health practices. From January to March 2012, two key informant interviews and 31 in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted among women ages 18-55 in Tunkás, Yucatán and Anaheim and Inglewood, California. Women reported challenges to obtaining routine reproductive clinical care, including access to care barriers and lack of perceived power over their own sexual health. This was further compounded by migration processes and deficiencies in health care delivery systems. Socio-cultural beliefs and gendered power dynamics influence sexual and reproductive health decisions and behaviors of migrant and non-migrant women. Findings underscore existing gender-based reproductive health norms and serve to inform future transnational research and public health education to improve the health of indigenous migrant and non-migrant women in the US and Mexico.
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Rebeca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Espinoza
authors.forename: Isela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Shira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goldenberg
authors.forename: María Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Zúñiga
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology*; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D017008:Negotiating; D010465:Perception; D044382:Population Groups / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012016:Reference Values; D060728:Reproductive Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult