Lived Experiences and Perceptions of Healthy Lifestyles Among Kichwa Kayambi Indigenous Adults: An Interpretative Qualitative Study in the Community of Pijal

Background: Healthy lifestyles in Indigenous populations cannot be understood solely based on biomedical categories; they require approaches that consider cultural meanings, material conditions, and community relationships. Objective: This study aimed to understand the lived experiences and perceptions of healthy lifestyles among Kichwa Kayambi Indigenous adults in the community of Pijal, Imbabura, Ecuador. Methods: An interpretative qualitative study was conducted based on 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews with Indigenous adults (15 women, 5 men; ages 25–72 years). The analysis followed a hybrid thematic approach with double coding and analyst triangulation. Leininger’s Theory of Diversity and Universality of Cultural Care and Pender’s Health Promotion Model were used as sensitizing concepts. Results: Three interrelated categories emerged. First, responsibility for health care is assumed as a daily decision, conditioned by economic barriers and facilitated by community cohesion. Second, life habits (physical activity linked to agricultural work, diet based on local products, rest according to work rhythms, ceremonial uses of tobacco and alcohol) articulate biomedical and traditional knowledge. Third, the Andean worldview integrates health with spirituality, the relationship with Pachamama, the use of medicinal plants, and intergenerational memory. Conclusions: A healthy life in this community is configured within a relational fabric where personal responsibility, daily habits, and the Andean worldview overlap in practices such as cultivating food, walking during work, preparing herbal remedies, and giving thanks for the harvest. A situated understanding of these meanings is essential for developing culturally congruent nursing interventions.