Ancestral Knowledge and Health Promotion in Older Adults of Pinguilí: A Qualitative Study with a Participatory Approach

Abstract

Introduction: Population aging constitutes one of the most relevant challenges for 21st-century healthcare systems, especially in rural communities with limited access to health services where active ancestral knowledge coexists. Objective: To analyze the perceived contribution of ancestral knowledge to health promotion among older adults through a participatory community intervention conducted in Pinguilí, Mocha canton, Ecuador. Materials and methods: A qualitative study with a participatory approach was carried out in three iterative cycles (diagnosis, action, and evaluation) between March and August 2024. Community activities involved 60 older adults (>=65 years old), 18 of whom were interviewed in depth. Additionally, 20 seventh-level medical students and 3 faculty members participated. Data were collected through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and field logs, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis following the phases of Braun and Clarke (2022), with source triangulation, member checking, and external auditing. Results: Three themes emerged: (1) ancestral knowledge as technologies for daily care, including the reported use of medicinal plants, traditional hot-cold food classification, and functional physical activity integrated into agricultural work; (2) perceived identity revalorization and social recognition among participants; and (3) situated learning and perceived development of intercultural competencies in medical students. Conclusions: For the study participants, ancestral knowledge constitutes culturally meaningful knowledge that could contribute to health promotion among older adults in rural Andean contexts and to intercultural medical training, findings that require further research before generalizable recommendations can be derived.