[EQ] Latin American epidemiology

Latin America: old and new challenges

International Journal of Epidemiology Volume 37, Number 4 August 2008
Shah Ebrahim -

Website: http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/current.dtl

“……This issue is devoted to Latin America, and is intended to provide a link with the
World Congress of Epidemiology, Porto Alegre, Brazil in September 2008.

We expect this congress to exceed attendance at previous International Epidemiology Association world meetings by about 5-fold. A large epidemiology following in Latin America reflects a sense of solidarity among epidemiologists in the region, a willingness to participate and a thirst for knowledge. Perhaps, most importantly, in Latin American countries epidemiology is seen more as an applied discipline with social and political motivations than in most other countries. The links between epidemiology and public health are strong, vastly increasing the numbers attending our scientific meetings.

Our guest editors, Cesar Victora and Laura Rodrigues, have done an excellent job of commissioning commentaries and selecting excellent scientific papers from a flood of manuscripts in response to the call for papers. Selection of papers is always difficult and I hope readers enjoy the choices made and join me in thanking our guest editors for all the hard work involved.

Reviewing the scientific papers published in this themed issue demonstrates major interests in topics that would not be considered ‘mainstream’ epidemiology: household expenditure on health care,¹ evaluation of household food security scale,² morbidity and mortality in relation to health care indicators,³ health services for tuberculosis,⁴ health insurance and cervical cancer screening,⁵ impact of sanitation intervention⁶ and evaluation of access to PAP smears in Peru,⁷ for example. A continued sense of relevance, of socially pioneering work that has the ability to change the health of populations and the lives of individuals is clearly seen. Long may it continue!...”

Editorial

Cesar G Victora and Laura C Rodrigues

Latin American epidemiology
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 692-693; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn140 [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

“….Most of Latin America is made up by middle income countries with marked socio-economic inequalities, and therefore includes both highly educated, wealthy populations and populations living in stark deprivation. After emerging from a period of instability and military rule, the region is now characterized by democratically elected governments, high levels of industrialization and a population that is 75% urban and includes four of the world's largest metropoles (Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires). There is an active research environment in some Latin American countries, with important contributions to epidemiology—over 2000 epidemiological papers a year in Medline, corresponding to roughly 2% of the output on the subject…”

Content:

 

Howard Waitzkin, Celia Iriart, Holly Shipp Buchanan, Francisco Mercado, Jonathan Tregear, and Jonathan Eldredge

The Latin American Social Medicine Database: a resource for epidemiology
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 724-728; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn148 [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

 

“….Latin American social medicine (LASM) has become a widely respected and influential field of research, teaching and clinical practice, yet its accomplishments remain little known in the English-speaking and -reading world.1–3 Important publications have not been translated from Spanish and Portuguese into English, and the majority of LASM journals are not indexed in MEDLINE or similar bibliographic databases….”

The LASM database provides Spanish, Portuguese and English structured abstracts summarizing classic and contemporary works in LASM. A website offers access to the abstracts in a searchable format. The LASM literature available through these resources provides important information about the social, economic and cultural determinants of health, and the organized responses to confront the problems.
Website: http://hsc.unm.edu/lasm/

 

Francisco I Bastos, Carlos Cáceres, Jane Galvão, Maria Amélia Veras, and Euclides Ayres Castilho

AIDS in Latin America: assessing the current status of the epidemic and the ongoing response
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 729-737; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn127 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

 

Célia Landmann Szwarcwald

Strategies for improving the monitoring of vital events in Brazil
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 738-744; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn130 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

 

Jaime Breilh

Latin American critical (‘Social’) epidemiology: new settings for an old dream
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 745-750; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn135 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

 

Roberto Briceño-León, Andrés Villaveces, and Alberto Concha-Eastman

Understanding the uneven distribution of the incidence of homicide in Latin America
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 751-757; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn153 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

 

Original Articles

Aluísio JD Barros and Andréa D Bertoldi

Out-of-pocket health expenditure in a population covered by the Family Health Program in Brazil
IJE Advance Access published on April 13, 2008
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 758-765; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn063 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Michelle Hackett, Hugo Melgar-Quiñonez, Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, and Ana Maria Segall-Corrêa

Gender of respondent does not affect the psychometric properties of the Brazilian Household Food Security Scale
IJE Advance Access published on May 22, 2008
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 766-774; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn084 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Luciana Tricai Cavalini and Antonio Carlos Monteiro Ponce de Leon

Morbidity and mortality in Brazilian municipalities: a multilevel study of the association between socioeconomic and healthcare indicators
IJE Advance Access published on May 24, 2008
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 775-783; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn088 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

          Waleska Teixeira Caiaffa, Clareci da Silva Cardoso, and Fernando Augusto Proietti

Commentary: Governance: does it matter in shaping health in urban settings? How in-depth can we go?
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 784-785; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn138 [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

JC Nájera-Ortiz, HJ Sánchez-Pérez, H Ochoa-Díaz, M Arana-Cedeño, MA Salazar Lezama, and M Martín Mateo

Demographic, health services and socio-economic factors associated with pulmonary tuberculosis mortality in Los Altos Region of Chiapas, Mexico
IJE Advance Access published on May 29, 2008
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 786-795; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn089 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Michelle L Bell, Marie S O’Neill, Nalini Ranjit, Victor H Borja-Aburto, Luis A Cifuentes, and Nelson C Gouveia

Vulnerability to heat-related mortality in Latin America: a case-crossover study in São Paulo, Brazil, Santiago, Chile and Mexico City, Mexico
IJE Advance Access published on May 29, 2008
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 796-804; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn094 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplementary Data]

Suzana R Ferrer, Agostino Strina, Sandra R Jesus, Hugo C Ribeiro, Sandy Cairncross, Laura C Rodrigues, and Mauricio L Barreto

A hierarchical model for studying risk factors for childhood diarrhoea: a case–control study in a middle-income country
IJE Advance Access published on May 31, 2008
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 805-815; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn093 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

William Checkley, Gillian Buckley, Robert H Gilman, Ana MO Assis, Richard L Guerrant, Saul S Morris, Kåre Mølbak, Palle Valentiner-Branth, Claudio F Lanata, Robert E Black, and and The Childhood Malnutrition and Infection Network

Multi-country analysis of the effects of diarrhoea on childhood stunting
IJE Advance Access published on June 20, 2008
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 816-830; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn099 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Bernd Genser, Agostino Strina, Lenaldo A dos Santos, Carlos A Teles, Matildes S Prado, Sandy Cairncross, and Mauricio L Barreto

Impact of a city-wide sanitation intervention in a large urban centre on social, environmental and behavioural determinants of childhood diarrhoea: analysis of two cohort studies
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 831-840; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn101 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Joanna d’Arc Lyra Batista, Maria de Fátima Pessoa Militão de Albuquerque, Ricardo Arraes de Alencar Ximenes, and Laura Cunha Rodrigues Smoking increases the risk of relapse after successful tuberculosis treatment IJE Advance Access published on June 13, 2008 Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 841-851; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn113 [Abstract] [FREE Full Text] [PDF]   OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE

 

Ricardo Arraes de Alencar Ximenes, Celina Maria Turchi Martelli, Edgar Merchán-Hamann, Ulisses Ramos Montarroyos, Maria Cynthia Braga, Maria Luíza Carvalho de Lima, Maria Regina Alves Cardoso, Marília Dalva Turchi, Marcelo Abrahão Costa, Luiz Cláudio Arraes de Alencar, Regina Célia Moreira, Gerusa Maria Figueiredo, Leila Maria Moreira Beltrão Pereira, and for the hepatitis study group Multilevel analysis of hepatitis A infection in children and adolescents: a household survey in the Northeast and Central-west regions of Brazil Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 852-861; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn114 [Abstract] [FREE Full Text] [PDF]   OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE

Valerie A Paz Soldan, Frank H Lee, Cesar Carcamo, King K Holmes, Geoff P Garnett, and Patricia Garcia

Who is getting Pap smears in urban Peru?
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 862-869; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn118 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Carlos A Reyes-Ortiz, Luis F Velez, Maria E Camacho, Kenneth J Ottenbacher, and Kyriakos S Markides

Health insurance and cervical cancer screening among older women in Latin American and Caribbean cities
IJE Advance Access published on May 29, 2008
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 870-878; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn096 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Marcia Scazufca, Paulo R Menezes, Ricardo Araya, Vanessa D Di Rienzo, Osvaldo P Almeida, David Gunnell, and Debbie A Lawlor

Risk factors across the life course and dementia in a Brazilian population: results from the Sao Paulo Ageing & Health Study (SPAH)
IJE Advance Access published on June 26, 2008
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 879-890; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn125 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Elisabeth França, Daisy Xavier de Abreu, Chalapati Rao, and Alan D Lopez

Evaluation of cause-of-death statistics for Brazil, 2002–2004
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 891-901; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn121 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplementary Data]

Francisco Mardones, Luis Villarroel, Lorena Karzulovic, Salesa Barja, Pilar Arnaiz, Marcela Taibo, and Francisco Mardones-Restat

Association of perinatal factors and obesity in 6- to 8-year-old Chilean children
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 902-910; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn133 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Reprints and Reflections

Carlos Chagas

A new disease entity in man: a report on etiologic and clinical observations
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 694-695; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn149 [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]  

Alvaro Moncayo

Commentary: The lucid reasoning of Carlos Chagas
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 695-696; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn128 [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]  

Moisés Goldbaum and Maurício L Barreto

Commentary: The contribution and example of Carlos Chagas
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 697-698; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn129 [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]  

Ricardo E Gürtler, Liléia Diotaiuti, and Uriel Kitron

Commentary: Chagas disease: 100 years since discovery and lessons for the future
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 698-701; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn134 [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]  

José da Rocha Carvalheiro and Paulo Gadelha

Commentary: Carlos Chagas—predecessor of Epidemiology in Brazil
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 701-703; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn139 [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]  

Cohort Profiles

Cesar G Victora, Pedro C Hallal, Cora LP Araújo, Ana MB Menezes, Jonathan CK Wells, and Fernando C Barros

Cohort Profile: The 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study
IJE Advance Access published on September 10, 2007
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 704-709; doi:10.1093/ije/dym177 [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]  

Ricardo Jose Reis, Poliana de Freitas La Rocca, Lucca Basile, Albert Navarro, and Miguel Martín

Cohort Profile: The Hospital das Clínicas Cohort Study, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
IJE Advance Access published on January 31, 2008
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 710-715; doi:10.1093/ije/dym272 [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]  

Aryeh D Stein, Paul Melgar, John Hoddinott, and Reynaldo Martorell

Cohort Profile: The Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) Nutrition Trial Cohort Study
IJE Advance Access published on February 19, 2008
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 716-720; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn028 [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

 

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