Use of Pregnancy Related Care and Family Planning in the Ch’orti Area of Guatemala

Sofie De Broe, University of Southampton

This study describes the use of reproductive health care in the impoverished Ch’orti area in eastern Guatemala and highlights variations in use between the ethnic groups. Firstly, differentials within the small town of Jocotán are investigated. Secondly, data from two indigenous villages in the surrounding rural communities are compared with the data from Jocotán demonstrating variations in use within the wider Ch’orti area. Finally, results are compared with DHS data for the surrounding county of Chiquimula. Results show surprising differentials within Jocotan. Also, women who self-identified as ‘ladino’ had higher uptake than the self-identified ‘mix’ group. Uptake was lowest among the self-identified indigenous women. In the two indigenous villages, nearly all women give birth without skilled delivery attendance and hardly use family planning. The rural DHS data for Chiquimula show a better reproductive health situation than the Ch’orti area, potentially because of under-representation of the Ch’orti population in the DHS.