scholarly journals AGING IN LATIN AMERICA: A FOCUS ON MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S787-S788
Author(s):  
Catherine Garcia ◽  
Maria P Aranda
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Population aging is occurring rapidly across Latin America, a region that includes some of the world’s most racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse populations. Aging in this region is occurring in a context of high levels of poverty and income inequality, which has implications for disease risk, cognitive health, and overall well-being. This symposium focuses on Mexico and Colombia, two of Latin America’s largest middle-income countries, which have recently undergone rapid epidemiological and demographic transitions. The papers in this symposium examine a variety of health dimensions among older Latinos that include physiological functioning, cognition, and psychological and physical well-being. García uses the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine biomarkers known to predict health risk among Mexican-origin populations: Mexico-born living in Mexico, Mexico-born living in the U.S., and U.S.-born Mexican-Americans. Saenz examines the importance of education on late-life cognitive ability among Mexicans using data from the MHAS Cognitive Aging Ancillary Study. Using data from the Colombian Survey of Health, Well-Being, and Aging (SABE-Colombia), Ailshire examines variation in biological risk across key subgroups of the population. Osuna uses data from the Colombian National Quality of Life Survey (ENCV) to determine if social and economic inequalities are reflected in unequal health and well-being among older adults. Results highlight which Latin American populations have increased risk for poorer health, which merit further research and policy attention. The findings highlight the importance of understanding health and well-being in the rapidly growing older adult populations of Latin America.

Confinement risks and social inequality in Latin America: Evidence from Argentina

2021 ◽  
pp. 001139212199001
Author(s):  
Fiorella Mancini
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Social Inequality ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Sociological Approach ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Health And Well Being

Social distancing and isolation measures in response to COVID-19 have confined individuals to their homes and produced unexpected side-effects and secondary risks. In Latin America, the measures taken by individual governments to mitigate these new daily and experiential risks have varied significantly as have the responses to social isolation in each country. Given these new social circumstances, the purpose of this article is to investigate, from the sociological approach of risk-taking, the relationship between confinement, secondary risks and social inequality. The author argues that secondary risks, despite their broad scope, are deeply structured by social inequalities in contemporary societies, especially in developing countries. To corroborate this hypothesis, a quantitative comparative analysis is performed for the Argentine case. Using data from a web-survey and correspondence analysis (CA), there are three major findings: (1) there are some widespread experiences similarly distributed across all social strata, especially those related to emotional and subjective matters; (2) other risks follow socio-structural inequalities, especially those corresponding to material and cultural aspects of consumption; (3) for specific vulnerable groups, compulsory confinement causes great dilemmas of decision-making between health and well-being.

Do Remittances Attract Foreign Direct Investment? An Empirical Investigation

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hem C. Basnet ◽  
Kamal P. Upadhyaya
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Latin American Countries

Remittances are a major source of household income in many Asian, African, and Latin American countries. Households spend a significant portion of remittances on health and education. Given that human capital is one of the primary determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow, this study develops a model in which remittances are one of several determinants of the observed variation in FDI. The model is estimated using data from a group of 35 middle-income countries from Latin America, Asia–Pacific, and Africa. The estimated results ascribe no significance to remittances in explaining cross-country variation in FDI. However, geographically-disaggregated estimated results do establish a positive effect for African countries, no significant effect for Latin American countries, and a negative effect for the Asia–Pacific region.

En La Tercera Edad: New Programmes to Promote the Health of Older People in Costa Rica

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 397-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry Checkoway ◽  
Fernando Morales-Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Older People ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Human Services ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Health And Human Services ◽  
Health And Well Being

ABSTRACTOlder people are increasing in number and proportion of the population in Latin America and, as they do, their health and social needs are becoming more apparent. This paper describes new initiatives to promote health and well-being in Costa Rica, a Latin American country which is economically poor by international standards, but which is known for its emphasis on health and human services. It draws on research to provide perspectives on health and ageing, discuss initiatives from neighbourhood to nation, and analyse prospects for the future. It emphasises health and ageing in Costa Rica, but identifies issues in terms of their wider significance.

scholarly journals International Total Worker Health: Applicability to Agribusiness in Latin America

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2252
Author(s):  
Diana Jaramillo ◽  
Lyndsay Krisher ◽  
Natalie V. Schwatka ◽  
Liliana Tenney ◽  
Gwenith G. Fisher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Workplace Safety ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Worker Health ◽  
Policies And Programs ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Total Worker Health

Total Worker Health® (TWH) is a framework for integrating worker and workplace safety, health, and well-being, which has achieved success in European and US settings. However, the framework has not been implemented in Latin America or in agricultural sectors, leaving large and vulnerable populations underrepresented in the implementation and evaluation of these strategies to improve safety and promote health and well-being. This study presents a case study of how a TWH approach can be applied to a multinational Latin American agribusiness. We describe the process and adaptation strategy for conducting a TWH assessment at multiple organizational levels and in multiple countries. We follow this with a description of a TWH leadership training that was conducted based on the results of the assessment. Finally, we describe our methods to make corporate recommendations for TWH policies and programs that were informed by the TWH assessment and leadership trainings. With this case study we aim to demonstrate the importance and feasibility of conducting TWH in Latin America.

scholarly journals 1409Legal abortion in the context of the COVID-19: a literature review focusing on Latin America

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávia B. Pilecco
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Maternal Mortality ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Distance Measures ◽  
Legal Abortion ◽  
Reproductive Health Services ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Existing Problems ◽  
Middle Income Countries

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic changed the functioning of several health services. This work aimed to understand how different countries, especially Latin Americans, dealt with legal abortion ones. Methods Narrative review on abortion and COVID-19 from January 1st, 2020 to March 10th, 2021. Databases searched included MEDLINE (through LitCOVID), Global Index Medicus, Virtual Health Library, and Journal Storage, complemented by gray literature. Results Of the 668 documents found, 111 were duplicated. After thematic screening, 75 were included. The vast majority reinforced the importance of abortion as a reproductive right and the maintenance of abortion services during the pandemic as essentials. Medical protocols without prior testing and supported by telemedicine were proposed to respect the distance measures. The pandemic amplified existing problems and restricted access to sexual and reproductive health services, such as legal abortion. This impact may be even stronger in low- and middle-income countries, especially in Latin America, where access to legal abortion is usually restricted. However, empirical peer-reviewed studies in this region are still scarce. Conclusions Latin American countries must place reproductive rights as a priority on their agendas and adapt legislation to accommodate alternative models of abortion care, or else they are at risk of increasing rates of unsafe abortions and maternal mortality, especially among the most vulnerable women. Key messages Maintaining legal abortion services during the pandemic is essential, at the risk of increasing maternal mortality, especially in contexts where access to these services is already restricted, such as in Latin America.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of cash-plus programmes on early childhood outcomes compared to cash transfers alone: A systematic review and meta-analysis in low- and middle-income countries

PLoS Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. e1003698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madison T. Little ◽  
Keetie Roelen ◽  
Brittany C. L. Lange ◽  
Janina I. Steinert ◽  
Alexa R. Yakubovich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Healthcare ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cash Transfers ◽  
Cash Transfer ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Psychosocial Stimulation ◽  
Health And Well Being

Background To strengthen the impact of cash transfers, these interventions have begun to be packaged as cash-plus programmes, combining cash with additional transfers, interventions, or services. The intervention’s complementary (“plus”) components aim to improve cash transfer effectiveness by targeting mediating outcomes or the availability of supplies or services. This study examined whether cash-plus interventions for infants and children <5 are more effective than cash alone in improving health and well-being. Methods and findings Forty-two databases, donor agencies, grey literature sources, and trial registries were systematically searched, yielding 5,097 unique articles (as of 06 April 2021). Randomised and quasi-experimental studies were eligible for inclusion if the intervention package aimed to improve outcomes for children <5 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and combined a cash transfer with an intervention targeted to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 (No Hunger), SDG3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG4 (Education), or SDG16 (Violence Prevention), had at least one group receiving cash-only, examined outcomes related to child-focused SDGs, and was published in English. Risk of bias was appraised using Cochrane Risk of Bias and ROBINS-I Tools. Random effects meta-analyses were conducted for a cash-plus intervention category when there were at least 3 trials with the same outcome. The review was preregistered with PROSPERO (CRD42018108017). Seventeen studies were included in the review and 11 meta-analysed. Most interventions operated during the first 1,000 days of the child’s life and were conducted in communities facing high rates of poverty and often, food insecurity. Evidence was found for 10 LMICs, where most researchers used randomised, longitudinal study designs (n = 14). Five intervention categories were identified, combining cash with nutrition behaviour change communication (BCC, n = 7), food transfers (n = 3), primary healthcare (n = 2), psychosocial stimulation (n = 7), and child protection (n = 4) interventions. Comparing cash-plus to cash alone, meta-analysis results suggest Cash + Food Transfers are more effective in improving height-for-age (d = 0.08 SD (0.03, 0.14), p = 0.02) with significantly reduced odds of stunting (OR = 0.82 (0.74, 0.92), p = 0.01), but had no added impact in improving weight-for-height (d = −0.13 (−0.42, 0.16), p = 0.24) or weight-for-age z-scores (d = −0.06 (−0.28, 0.15), p = 0.43). There was no added impact above cash alone from Cash + Nutrition BCC on anthropometrics; Cash + Psychosocial Stimulation on cognitive development; or Cash + Child Protection on parental use of violent discipline or exclusive positive parenting. Narrative synthesis evidence suggests that compared to cash alone, Cash + Primary Healthcare may have greater impacts in reducing mortality and Cash + Food Transfers in preventing acute malnutrition in crisis contexts. The main limitations of this review are the few numbers of studies that compared cash-plus interventions against cash alone and the potentially high heterogeneity between study findings. Conclusions In this study, we observed that few cash-plus combinations were more effective than cash transfers alone. Cash combined with food transfers and primary healthcare show the greatest signs of added effectiveness. More research is needed on when and how cash-plus combinations are more effective than cash alone, and work in this field must ensure that these interventions improve outcomes among the most vulnerable children.

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