ABSTRACT
This chapter reports results of a three-year community-based distribution project carried out by the Maternal and Child Care (MCH) Division of the Colombian Ministry of Health and the Boyaca State Health Service. In Colombia, the public sector is the main supplier of health services, especially for low-income populations in both rural and urban areas. The first attempts to include members of the community in the provision of health services in Colombia were made in 1958. In 1975, the Ministry of Health assessed the health situation in the country. Even though Colombia has undergone a dramatic decline in fertility, described in the literature, contraceptive use in urban areas differs significantly from that in rural areas. It was decided to evaluate the effectiveness of the antihelminthic program in modifying the height and weight of children under five years of age. The Ministry of Health is making arrangements to allow all the promoters in the country to distribute several contraceptives and antiparasite drugs.
