Nursing Commons^™

Availability Of & Access To Prenatal Care & The Effects On Maternal & Infant Mortality Rates: A Comparison Of Central American Countries, Costa Rica & Guatemala, Joanne Danae Youngblood

Theses and Dissertations

Costa Rica and Guatemala share similarities in history, culture, and a relatively congruous geopolitical philosophy. Yet despite these superficial parallels, access to prenatal care between the two countries is shockingly disparate. Costa Rican women have better access to prenatal care and both the maternal and infant mortality rates are comparable to more developed countries with significantly higher rates of economic development and higher spending on healthcare per capita. In juxtaposition, the lack of prenatal care within Guatemala’s health care system is a prime example of a country’s failure to implement protections and policies that promote and elevate the level of …