The Statistical Institute of Belize has completed what's known as the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey or MICS report. It is compiled in conjunction with UNICEF and it is designed to gather information on the state of women and children through large scale household surveys. In this case more than 5,200 households were sampled.
It shows that 92 percent of those households have access to electricity, while 96 percent reported using improved sources of drinking water. About 87 percent of households had improved sanitation facilities. The average household size was 3.8 persons, and on average the number of persons per each room used for sleeping was just under two.
While that's the good news, to bad news is that of all children under five years old, 4.6 percent were found to be underweight, while 15 percent were considered to be stunted, or below the normal height for their age as per World Health Organization standards. 12 percent of infants weighed less than five and a half pounds at birth.
The report found that among children aged one to 14, two thirds had been subjected to violent discipline, either physical punishment or psychological aggression, within the previous month. Of these, six percent reported receiving severe physical punishment within the previous month.
Close to one in every six women had at least one child before the age of 18.
The report notes that a high level of life satisfaction was reported by both men and women, with upwards of 95 percent indicating that, overall, they were either very or somewhat satisfied with their lives. Close to three out of every four persons between the ages of 15 and 24 felt that their lives had improved over the past year. The full report will be released later this year.
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