Lesaca Esquiroz, Javier (2017). Baseline Salud Mesoamerica Guatemala: Household Survey 2015. IDB Open Data. https://doi.org/10.60966/ppb81hy5

1. Spanish

What is this dataset?

The Baseline Health Survey: Mesoamerica, Guatemala is part of the Mesoamerica Health Initiative, which assesses the status of maternal, newborn, and child health in Guatemala.
It provides national and subnational data that allow policymakers to understand health disparities and guide resource allocation to improve maternal and child health outcomes.

What does the dataset include?

The dataset contains multiple modules covering different aspects of household and individual health, including:
- Census: Geographic identification of surveyed municipalities and households.
- Module 1: Basic household information such as interview language and respondent data.
- Modules 2A–2C: Data on household members, demographics, education, and living conditions.
- Module 3: Detailed health and nutrition data focusing on maternal and child health indicators.

What kind of health indicators are included?

The dataset covers a range of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) indicators, including:
- Antenatal and postnatal care utilization
- Birth attendance and delivery setting
- Vaccination coverage
- Nutritional status of children under five
- Access to clean water and sanitation
- Household income and education levels

What is the purpose of this survey?

The survey establishes a baseline for Guatemala’s health system performance, enabling comparison before and after targeted interventions supported by the Mesoamerica Health Initiative and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
It helps identify key barriers to healthcare access and track progress in reducing maternal and child mortality.

How was the data collected?

Data were collected through structured household interviews and health assessments conducted by trained field teams across urban and rural areas of Guatemala.
Respondents included women of reproductive age (15–49 years) and caregivers of children under 5.

What is the geographic coverage?

The survey represents households across Guatemala, ensuring statistical coverage of both urban and rural regions, with a focus on marginalized and indigenous communities.

How can researchers use this dataset?

Researchers and institutions can use the data to:
- Analyze maternal and child health disparities by region or demographic group.
- Evaluate nutrition and vaccination coverage.
- Study determinants of healthcare access.
- Support policy development and program evaluation for public health interventions in Guatemala.

What is the time coverage of the dataset?

The dataset is baseline data collected during the initial phase of the Mesoamerica Health Initiative and serves as a benchmark for pre-intervention analysis.

Who funded and implemented the survey?

The survey was implemented with support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and regional partners under the Mesoamerica Health Initiative framework, in coordination with Guatemala’s national health authorities.

What is the current status of maternal healthcare services in Guatemala?

The dataset partially answers this. (Household-level, baseline/survey-specific; not national “current status”).

This dataset can describe maternal healthcare utilization and selected components of care among surveyed households (within the survey’s geographic coverage). It includes variables that support the analysis of:

• Antenatal care (ANC) use (e.g., whether care was received and number/timing of visits)
• Who provided ANC (provider type categories)
• Where ANC occurred (location of care)
• Counseling and key interventions during pregnancy, including indicators related to iron supplementation and nutrition counseling
• Delivery-related indicators (e.g., elements about delivery support/attendants in the household module)

It cannot, by itself, provide a national, up-to-date picture for all of Guatemala.

What are the key challenges for safe childbirth in Guatemala?

The dataset partially answers this question. (as reported barriers and service-experience signals).

This dataset can support evidence on barriers that prevent women from seeking or receiving care, which are closely tied to safe childbirth outcomes. It includes structured reasons such as:

• Cost
• Distance
• Transportation
• Staffing
• Medicines/equipment availability
• Trust and permission-related constraints
• Language/communication and satisfaction-related experience measures (where captured)

It does not measure the full capacity of the emergency obstetric system (e.g., national ambulance coverage, referral hospital ICU capacity).

What is the impact of poverty and lack of education on maternal health outcomes in rural Guatemala?

The dataset partially answers this question. (correlational analysis within the survey).

The dataset includes household socioeconomic and education-related variables (and a wide set of maternal care indicators), enabling analysis such as:

• Whether lower socioeconomic status correlates with fewer ANC visits, different provider types, or more reported barriers (cost/transport/distance)
• Whether maternal education correlates with use of ANC services, counseling received, and selected pregnancy-related practices

Significant limitation: results reflect the survey sample and design, not necessarily national causal effects.

What is the role of traditional birth attendants (comadronas) in Guatemalan maternal health?

This dataset partially answers this.

The maternal module includes variables on whether a traditional birth attendant (partera/comadrona) provided counseling or guidance during pregnancy, as well as the types of recommendations (e.g., breastfeeding, nutrition, immunization, danger signs, and delivery in a health facility).

It can also support analysis of whether women were accompanied by a traditional birth attendant in specific care contexts (where captured).

It does not, by itself, capture the full scope of comadrona training, licensure, payment models, or geographic distribution.