SELF-CARE ACTIONS OF COLOMBIAN POR-DIA DOMESTIC WORKERS - ON PREVENTION AND CARE

This is a report of a phenomenological study of Colombia's ''por dia'' domestic workers that examined their actions in promoting their health, in preventing illnesses, and in caring for themselves. A cross sectional sample of 60 per diem female domestic workers in one large city in Colombia were interviewed using open-ended interview questions about their health, self-care actions, health care resources, and patterns of utilization. We argue that knowledge of women's experiences with the health care system, their knowledge of their bodies, and the daily demands on their time and life are vital in defining and planning health care services that women need. We demonstrated that the structural conditions in and for health care services and the lack of knowledge of their bodies act as barriers to women's utilization of health care services and to maintaining their health. Our findings support the need for considering women's health from a development perspective and for offering more integrated and cohesive health care services for women.