Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Mexico was the first country in the Americas to sign and ratify the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2004. More than a decade later, it is appropriate to evaluate legislative and regulatory progress and the associated challenges; and also, to propose a roadmap to prioritize the problems to be addressed to achieve long-term sustainable solutions. Mexico has made substantial progress in tobacco control. However, regulations have been only weakly enforced. The tobacco industry continues to interfere with full implementation of the WHO-FCTC. As a result, tobacco consumption remains stable at about 17.6%, with a trend upwards among vulne­rable groups: adolescents, women and low-income groups. The growing popularity of new tobacco products (electronic cigarettes or e-cigs) among young Mexicans is an increasing challenge. Our review reveals the need to implement all provisions of the WHO-FCTC in its full extent, and that laws and regulations will not be effective in decreasing the tobacco epidemic unless they are strictly enforced.

[No disponible]

Objective. The Healthy Aging Partnerships in Prevention Initiative (HAPPI) aims to increase the use of clinical preventive services (CPS) among underserved Latinos and African Americans in South Los Angeles who are 50+ years old. Materials and methods. HAPPI uses an evidencebased model, SPARC, to leverage existing resources and link community resources. HAPPI’s multi-sectoral partnerships include local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community health centers (CHCs), aging and public health agencies serving the City and County of Los Angeles, and a university. Activities include CHC capacity assessment and training, and community capacity-building that included a small grants program. Results. We engaged five CHCs in quality improvement activities and eight NGOs in networking and programming to increase awareness and receipt of CPS. We discuss barriers and facilitators including the success of trainings conducted with CHC providers and NGO representatives. Conclusion. Multi-sectoral collaborations hold promise for increasing awareness and use of CPS in underserved communities.

 Objective. To estimate the association between sweet­ened beverages (SB) consumption with adiposity indica­tors and metabolic status among young Chilean adults. Materials and methods. We analyzed food frequency consumption, body mass index (BMC), waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (BFP), glucose and triglycerides in 931 young adults randomly selected from Valparaiso Region using multivariate regression models controlling confusion and interactions factors. Results. The median age was 24.9 years; (95%CI: 92.3-95.3) reported SB consumption, 33.1% received more than two portions (≥500 ml) daily what was associated with an increase in glycemia (β=2.40; p=0.024) (both sexes), with BMI (β=1.48, p=0.04), WC (β= 4.50; p=0.009) and BFP (β=3.02, p< 0.001) only in women. Conclusion. High consumption of SB increases glycemia in young adults and only in women, indicators of adiposity, relevant antecedents to formulate policies that decrease SB consumption and its consequences.

[Not available]

Objective. To analyze the epidemiological aspects of AID through Mexican history and the potential strategies to pre­vent AID in Mexican population. Materials and methods. A systematic review was performed exploring the key words, diarrhea, morbidity, mortality, Mexico, health promotion for the last 20 years (1978-2018). Results. Over 8 600 articles were obtained; all of them were evaluated to consider those follow the aim of the present work. Conclusion. The result of the performed systematic review denoted the influence of AID in Mexican public health policy; the adopted actions diminished the AID’s associated risks and allowed future strategies to prevent it; those actions must include hygienic and dietetic measures, pharmaceutical innovations and tech­nological tools applied to health policies.

Objective. To evaluate the results of educational intervention on health and safety regarding principles of biosafety in cleaning workers of a health institution. Materials and methods. Using concurrent mixed methods, we evaluated a total of 31 workers on their knowledge, attitudes, and practices of biosafety and risk perception. We conducted baseline measurements and two follow-ups. Fractional logistic regression models were fitted with study stage as covariate. Additional models included interactions of study stage with key workers characteristics. Thematic qualitative analysis and triangulation was developed. Results. The knowledge (+33.3 points, scale 0-100), attitudes (+10.6), and practices (+23.5) increased significantly in the first follow-up; knowledge de- creased in the second follow-up (p<0.001). The qualitative findings revealed an improvement in risk prevention attitudes and practices, framed by experiences of vulnerability, stigma, and discrimination. Conclusions. The study provides key elements for biosafety research related to vulnerable groups and it is effective in promoting the health of a disadvantaged and invisible sector. 

[Not available]

[Not available]

Objectives. This study aimed to compare the performance in the National Assessment for Applicants for Medical Resi­dency (ENARM in spanish) of private versus public medical schools, geographic regions and socioeconomic levels by using three different statistical methods (summary measurements, the rate of change and the area under the receiver operator characteristics [AUROC]). These methods have not been previously used for the ENARM; however, some variations of the summary measurements have been reported in some USA assessments of medical school graduates. Materials and methods. Cross-sectional study based on historical data (2001-2017). We use summary measures and colour-filled map. The statistical analysis included Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman correlation coefficient (Rs), and linear regression. Results. A total of 113 medical schools were included in our analysis; 60 were public and 53 private. We found difference in the median of total scores for type of schools, MD= 54.07 vs. MD= 57.36, p= 0.011. There were also significant differences among geographic and socioeconomic regions (p<0.05). Conclusions. Differences exist in the total scores and percentage of selected test-takers between type of schools, geographic and socioeconomic regions. Higher scores are prevalent in the Northeast and Norwest regions. Additional research is required to identify factors that contribute to these differences. Unsuspected differences in examination scores can be unveiled using summary measures.