Abstract
This study analyses and compares epidemiological data with health workers’ perceptions of morbidity and mortality in order to complement and enrich different perspectives. Using a mixed-methods approach, we conducted a statistical analysis of available morbidity and mortality records (2018–2022) and carried out interviews with health workers from a primary health care centre in Villa La Angostura, Neuquén, Argentina, exploring their perceptions of health problems and mortality in the neighbourhood. The most frequently recorded conditions were respiratory infections, stress, diabetes and hypertension, while neoplasms and circulatory diseases accounted for the leading causes of mortality at the departmental level. Interviewees emphasised that precarious housing and employment conditions, illiteracy and environmental contamination worsen health and limit care practices. The qualitative component made it possible to give meaning to the quantitative results and to access dimensions of the local health situation that cannot be adequately captured through coding alone. This study highlights the relevance of methodological integration for understanding a complex phenomenon such as health and illness.