[Research on child health: the life story method and mothers' oral statement]

Children morbimortality rates in Brazil provide some indications about the life patterns of certain social groups, considered as risk groups, due to their vulnerability to a number of health impairments, but they do no display a clear picture of their quality of life. The present study aims to describe the steps undertaken by the authors to construct a qualitative research study on maternal living conditions and lifestyle, discussing certain aspects related to the study's design, such as, the definition of the research problem, the theoretical framework and data collection, particularly, the use of oral reports by mothers and the advantages and difficulties of this technique. Such narratives make it possible for researchers to come to know the needs, worries and strategies mothers use to care for their children's health, as well as, expose some wider social determinants of their life patterns. The knowledge thus generated is important to orientate the organization of policies and social practices to be developed by the health sector.