Infant Mortality Rates Before, During, and after a Nutrition and Health Intervention in Rural Guatemalan Villages

Abstract

Village-level infant mortality rates (IMRs) before, during, and after a food supplement and health care intervention in four villages in eastern Guatemala 1969–1977 and in three control villages are compared. Data on all pregnancies and outcomes for 988 women were obtained by means of a retrospective women's life history survey. After controlling for baseline values, the average IMR in two villages receiving supplementation with a protein-and energy-rich drink and health care was 60 per 1,000 live births, compared with an average rate of 113 in the control villages (p<.05). The rate in two villages receiving the same type of health care but a low-energy supplement was 91 per 1,000 and not significantly different from that in the control villages. The decline in the IMR in these villages points strongly to the programme's impact, but the relative importance of food supplements and health care is ambiguous.