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Poverty, Local Perceptions, and Access to Services: Understanding Obstetric Choices for Rural and Indigenous Women in Guatemala in the Twenty-First Century

  • Alejandra Colom
  • Marcela Colom
Chapter
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Part of the Global Maternal and Child Health book series (GMCH)

Abstract

This chapter offers an overview of obstetric choice in Guatemala analyzed from an anthropological and biomedical point of view. It presents recent statistics related to maternal healthcare, especially the use of healthcare facilities and consultation with skilled medical attendants, and aims to explain, both from a biomedical and public health and an anthropological point of view, the trends in utilization of hospital- or clinic-based services versus the use of services provided by midwives in the past decades. It presents an analysis of family, community, and country level factors that influence obstetric choice and impact maternal health outcomes.

Keywords

Indigenous women Maternal health Guatemala Pregnancy Central America Prenatal care Skilled birth attendant Midwife Maternal morbidity Maternal mortality Neonatal mortality Hospital Healthcare facility Insurance Maya Traditional midwife Legal Prevention Mayan medical system Ecological approach Human rights Anthropology 
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Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Population Council in GuatemalaGuatemala CityGuatemala
  2. 2.Department of AnthropologyUniversidad del Valle de GuatemalaGuatemala CityGuatemala
  3. 3.Wuqu’ Kawoq | Maya Health AllianceSantiagoGuatemala

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