Demography. 1996 May; 33(2): 231-47.

Prenatal and delivery care and childhood immunization in Guatemala: do family and community matter?

Pebley AR, Goldman N, RodrÃguez G.

RAND, Santa Monica, CA, USA. pebley@rand.org

In this paper we investigate family choices about pregnancy-related care and the use of childhood immunization. Estimates obtained from a multilevel logistic model indicate that use of formal (or "modern") health services differs substantially by ethnicity, by social and economic factors, and by availability of health services. The results also show that family and community membership are very important determinants of the use of health care, even in the presence of controls for a large number of observed characteristics of individuals, families, and communities.