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

Background: Food availability and dietary intake are thought to contribute to rising obesity among women of low socioeconomic status in Latin America. In Costa Rica, few studies have investigated food availability, dietary intake, or how they vary by SES. Objectives: The purpose of this study in San José, Costa Rica was to (1) evaluate women’s perceptions of food availability and, (2) describe dietary intake in women from low- and high-SES areas of the city. Methods: Thirty non-pregnant, non-lactating women between 25 and 50 years were recruited in March 2013 from a low- and high-SES canton. Structured, qualitative interviews assessed perceptions of food availability in 17 of the 30 women. Quantitative 24-hour dietary recalls assessed dietary intake in all 30 women. Results: Many women from the low-SES canton reported that they would include more chicken and fish in their diet if cost were not a barrier. Protein intake as a proportion of total energy intake was significantly greater in women from the high- versus low-SES canton (17% SD=5 vs. 13 SD=3, p = 0.02). Protein intake from animal source foods was significantly greater in women from the high-SES canton (38 g SD=22 vs. 21 SD=11, p = 0.02). Conclusion: Protein intake was greater in high-SES women and this may be due to the perceived cost of animal source foods.

Objective: in this paper, we contrast different synthetic indexes that seek to improve the approach to measurement of the quality of life perceived by people. Methods: we took a sample of 220 people from different suburban communities from the municipality of Acapulco. Reduction of variables was done with the Principal Component Analysis technique; with it, we obtained three synthetic indexes (Sum, Global, ad DP2). Results: by comparing the obtained results, with the perception of the quality of life that people reported, we can conclude that the best approach to this perception is done by the synthetic index DP2, which achieves 39.1% of direct matches, especially, in the good and very good quality of life categories. Conclusions: these results show that 80.9% of survey respondents consider that their quality of life is between good and very good, while only 35% are located in these categories using the economic index. This fact allows us to corroborate that, at least in this case, the economic conditions do not define the survey respondents’ perception of quality of life. 

It is analyzed the current situation of the health system in Mexico, in general, and specifically, in relation to the elderly population (AM, for its acronym in Spanish) by means of the organizational models, hierarchies and networks. For this, we use the neo-institutional theory based on a political approach; through this one we established the actors that make up the hierarchy levels and those that make horizontal communication networks. In the analysis we review information from governmental and health institutions, such as the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI, for its acronym in Spanish), the World Health Organization (OMS, for its acronym in Spanish), the Pan American Health Organization (OPS, for its acronym in Spanish), the National Institute of Public Health (INSP, for its acronym in Spanish), among others. This analysis provides a prospective view of health policy for AM where the trend is toward homogenization of health legislation in Latin America, increase of state participation to finance health programs, and promotion of policies to prevent health risks. 

El presente documento estudia la población de Costa Rica en tanto que conjunto de individuos sujetos a evolución, ciyos componentes fundamentales son la mortalidad y la fecundidad. El estudio centra su atención en el cambio ocurrido en estas dos variables, ocupándose especialmente de la evolición de causas de muerte y, en el caso de la evolución de las causa de muerte y , en el caso de la fecundidad, de la etapas de la formación de la familia, de la nupcialidad y de la práctica anticonceptiva. También se enumeran algunas de las consecuencias que han tenido los cambios en la mortalidad y en la fecundidad, discutiéndose además el posible comportamiento futuro de estas variables, con el riesgo que implica el hacer conjeturas de este tipo.

It presents the book review of:Cortinas, C. (2014). Cáncer: herencia y ambiente (2da reimpr.). México: FCE, SEP, Conacyt.

Objective: Collect evidence about the frequency variation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations and family history in patients with mammary gland cancer (MGC) and ovarian cancer (OC) from different geographical backgrounds. Method: This paper presents a systematic review using the PRISMA protocol parameters to estimate the prevalence of mutations in BRCA 1/2 genes in patients with MGC and OC, the incidence of family history and the observed prevalence in sporadic cases with this type of cancer. Results: Heterogeneity is observed in the frequency of mutations of these genes in studies of family history ranging between 0.0 and 0.48 in patients and families with MGC and OC similar to those previously reported. Discussion: This wide range of frequency is due to the origin of the studied population, the number of individuals analyzed and genotyping methodology used. The review reveals that the family MGC and OC is twice as common compared with cases of the same disease of a sporadic origin. Conclusions: This type of molecular studies allows other people who have family history of MGC and OC to perform early analysis and tests to prevent the future development of this neoplasia.

Background: Concern for the body and dietary practices of risk are two topics that in recent years have gained interest among nutritionists, who have observed these characteristics in urban population, particularly in women of different ages. Studies in rural areas with mestizo and indigenous peoples of Mexico evidence that the problem occurs between the poor and marginalized female population. Objective: to study the body perception of Mayan women living in areas of Mexico. Methods: The investigation took place in two phases, a quantitative one, in which a questionnaire with open and closed questions was applied, and a qualitative one, which consisted of focus groups. Women from the Maya community of Chun-Yah in the state of Quintana Roo were weighed and measured, they were also asked to choose an anatomical figure they identified according to their perception. Results: BMI, body perception and desire to have a certain body was obtained. 51 Maya women were surveyed in the first phase, they had an average weight of 65 Kg, height of 1.42 m and a BMI of 31.5 kg/m2. More than half of them perceived themselves thin. During the focus groups an ambivalence between perception and desire was detected, since fatness is not so stigmatized in the community. Conclusions: the need for more empirical studies on rural populations was observed as well as the need to discuss other categories of analysis different from the biomedical, such as medicalization, lipophobia, medical discourse, among others, in order to gain greater clarity on the subject of overweight and obesity in both urban and rural areas.

Objectives: to analyze the spatial patterns of Peruvian migration in the city of Cordoba, Argentina and to compare the Peruvian migrants in clusters with Peruvian migrants scattered in the city. Methods: Spatial statistical techniques and socio-demographic analysis are used for this analysis. In the first phase, global measures of spatial autocorrelation (Global Moran Index) and local measures of spatial clustering represent clusters of population (Getis-Ord Gi*). In the second phase, a sociodemographic analysis of population in clusters and population dispersed is carried out. Results: we suggest there are two entangled processes. First, the concentration in specific areas of the city of Peruvian migrants in patterns that are not random. Older migrants are mainly dispersed in the city while more recent migrants are concentrated. Second, dispersed Peruvian men have greater diversification in terms of occupational structure and better socioeconomic status than Peruvian migrants dispersed. Women both dispersed and in clusters have a more precarious economic situation than men. This situation is transversal to the dispersion / concentration in urban space. Conclusions: it is suggested that the composition of class, gender and temporality of migration flows articulate the modalities of incorporation in the society of destination.

Camp de Tarragona (Spain) participated strongly in the commercial revolution of the modern era and its population grew steadily. Objective: to analyze whether the serious mortality crisis and lack of health stimulated the evolution of the population in the area and what role these crisis played in them. Methods: demographic change is reconstructed with parish registers and census from nearly three centuries. Significant aspects of mortality by crisis are presented through the Dupâquier and Flinn method. Results: Drought is the indirect indicator of economic stress and health. Deaths increased in years of bad harvests, war or infection. For one or more years mortality rose above its normal level (level 4-5 determines serious crisis with the Dupâquier method). Camp reached this level on four times: in the early seventeenth century with drought as a determining factor, another time by disease and the other by war. It was succeeded by urban and rural crisis. Conclusions: The influence of these serious crisis on the population and economic growth was important when man's capacity was limited. The Camp was able to maintain an important demographic and economic hegemony at this time. Severe mortality crisis severely dwindled the population. As a conclusion, it is found that the role of mortality does not appear decisive for serious crisis but played an important role in the recovery momentum of the residents of Camp.