Child-Rearing Practices, Nutrition and Health Status

Abstract

This paper discusses some of the ways in which culturally determined dietary and child-rearing practices affect health in Guatemala. 2 cultural groups are discussed: the traditional Indians and the poor Ladinos the relations between which have crystallized into a caste system. In Guatemala the risk of death during early life is 36.3 from age 0-28 days 55.1 for age 1-11 months and 33.2 for age 1-4 years; these statistics can be compared with those for the U.S. where comparable figures are 18.3 7 and 1. This pattern of mortality is closely related to ecological conditions and especially to child-rearing practices. Ecological factors include nutritional deficiency and prevalence of infectious disease organisms. These affect the childs growth pattern which is extremely slow until age 4 years; small listless inactive children are accpeted as the norm. Prenatally the usual practice of a pregnant Ladino or Indian is to seek the help of a midwife who cuts the cord ties it with thread cauterizes it with a blade heated red-hot and usually applies hot candle wax (which may explain the almost complete lack of tetanus neonatorum in these populations). Other than a laxative to cleanse the infant of worms the baby is fed solely by the mothers milk. Breast milk is considered the only food a child actually needs for almost the entire first year of life; however weaning usually begins during the second half of the first year with the introduction of solids. The belief that continued nursing of a child while pregnant with another will harm the developing fetus results in weaning usually initiated by the next pregnancy. The role of agencies such as WHO and UNICEF in the changing patterns of these cultures is discussed as it relates to child health.