The access to health information is one of the rights of the user of the public health care system, but it is little respected in health services. This study investigates the problem from the perspective of the female clientele. A qualitative study was carried out with a sample of seventeen low-income mothers, which reside in the outskirts of the Federal District. The mothers are frequent users of the health care services, but their adherence to prescribed conducts depends on social and economic factors and how they perceive the various alternatives at their hand. Access to health information is hampered by the mother's low level of instruction, use of folklore medicine, faulty communication and lack of receptive/nurturing environment, indifference to social rights on the part of health providers.