Health needs and social response in a rural town: metaphors and dilemmas regarding the use of alcohol

Abstract

Background. Harmful alcohol use is identified as a public health problem and the success of the health system response to needs will depend on the programs, the actors who implement them and their degree of acceptability among the recipient population.

Objective. To determine the perception of how political, civil, commercial and health system actors meet the health needs derived from harmful alcohol use in a rural area, with the aim of providing information for decision-making in health policies to cope with this problem.

Method. Case study with a qualitative approach, conducted in a rural town of Morelos, in which its inhabitants identified the fact that alcohol posed a health problem.

Results. Discourse is analyzed by identifying the metaphors used to make sense of this phenomenon and the dilemmas faced.

Discussion and conclusion. The authors discuss the differences in the way it is perceived and how they prevent the implementation of actions to prevent and deal with alcohol abuse and sales regulations. They conclude that designing public policies that respond to the health needs in this area requires taking into account the dilemmatic nature of the social thinking of the individuals involved in this response, which goes beyond health service provision, and incorporating social determinants (economic, political and cultural).