Introduction:

Gastrointestinal illness are frequent in the indigenous population, generating different interpretations and treatments.

Objective:

To construct a Socio-cultural epidemiological profile of diarrheal disease in Nasa children under one year of age.

Materials and methods:

Mixed and interdisciplinary method that triangulated quantitative and qualitative tools, which guide the sociocultural characterization of this people, the statistical description of the presence and distribution of this disease, and the ethnographic work around its diagnosis, interpretation and care.

Results:

98.5% of this population live rural areas and do not have access to basic sanitation. During the six months of research, 349 cases of this disease were presented at 306 infants under one year, and its incidence is higher in areas with less presence of State institutions. The diagnoses are mainly made by the mothers based on specific elements: characteristics of the depositions, and contextual situations: environmental, social and cultural incidents. The main causes recognized by the caregivers are of biological origin: parasites (23%) and malnutrition (21%), also syndromes of cultural affiliation: fright (15%), bad wind (8%) and injury (7%). Care strategies indicated a medical pluralism with a predominance of self-care. Biomedicine is the main option when moms see the lives of the infants compromised.

Conclusions:

Diarrheal disease among the Nasas has a high presence, and it is a reflection of a precarious life, invigorated in a rural territory excluded and filled with symbolizations.