A household survey of health and illness in Rural Bolivia

Abstract:

The Government of Bolivia and the United States Agency for International Development have undertaken a demonstration project to provide low-cost health services for the Montero region of central Bolivia. Before implementing the project, a survey was conducted to determine the population's initial health status. This article describes the findings obtained by that survey. A total of 3,372 people of all ages were included in the survey, which was conducted in the last 3 months of 1977. Over half (52 per cent) of the survey population was less than 15 years of age; most adults (94 per cent) said they spoke Spanish but nearly half (45 per cent) said Quecchua was their household's principal language; reported adult illiteracy rates were 18 per cent for men and 52 per cent for women. Both birth and childhood death rates were quite high. The crude annual birth rate was 54.9 births per 1,000 people surveyed, there being an annual rate of 277.6 births per 1,000 women 15-44 years of age. Neonatal mortality was 59.5 deaths per 1,000 live births; infant mortality was 113.5 deaths per 1,000 live births; and overall mortality was 11.6 deaths per 1,000 population. Although death rates for children and adolescents greatly exceeded average U.S. death rates for those groups, the number of deaths reported among those over 24 years old was similar to that which would be expected among a comparable U.S. population. Many young children were found to be malnourished, 17 per cent being below the third percentile of a standard U.S. reference population in terms of weight for age. Intestinal parasites were found in the stools of 61 per cent of the children below 6 years of age, and hematocrit levels indicated that nearly half the children 0-6 years of age were anemic by WHO standards. Many residents (42 per cent) reported having one or more episodes of illness in the 2 weeks preceding the survey interview. Medical expenses paid to treat such illness amounted to US $4.42 per episode, most of which was spent on medication; only 15 per cent was used to pay for services of health care personnel.

Año de publicación:

1980

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Fuente:

scopus