Servicios de salud maternoinfantil y vacunacion en Panama y Guatemala / Maternal and child health services and vaccination in Panama and Guatemala

ABSTRACT

Two surveys designed to assess the extent to which maternal and child health services were being used in Guatemala and Panama were conducted in 1983-1984 and 1984-1985, respectively. The Panama survey obtained complete interviews from 8 240 women 15 through 49 years of age, while the Guatemala survey obtained complete interviews from 3 670 women 15 through 44 years of age. These surveys were conducted principally to estimate the prevalence of the use of contraception and to provide population-based data on the use of maternal and child health services, including immunization levels, in order to measure program impact in each country. For purpose of this analysis, only women 15 through 44 years of age who were married at the time of the interview and who had given birth to a live infant within the preceding five years and included. A considerably higher percentage of married women aged 15-44 reported using maternal and child health (MCH) services in Panama than in Guatemala. In both countries a relatively high percentage of women residing in the urban areas said they made use of these services, while Indian women in both countries reported making relatively tittle use of them. In addition, associations were found between use of MCH services and maternal education, maternal employment, parity, and the type of facilit