Objective

To summarize the results of research conducted in Costa Rica in which mathematical and statistical methods were implemented to study the transmission dynamics of mosquito-borne diseases.

Methods

Three articles with mathematical and statistical analysis on vector-borne diseases in Costa Rica were selected and reviewed. These papers show the value and relevance of using different quantitative methods to understand disease dynamics and support decision-making.

Objective

Reconstruct the experience of the Virtual Campus for Public Health (VCPH) from 2012 to 2019 in Colombia.

Methods

The experience of public health training through the VCPH in Colombia in the period 2012-2019 was systematized. The information is presented in cross-section time series to show the evolution of the VCPH in Colombia over time.

Objective

To investigate whether structural aspects of primary care units (PCUs) and the work processes of primary care teams are associated with the rate of hospitalizations for primary care-sensitive conditions (HPCSC) in children younger than 5 years of age in Brazil.

The Caribbean sub-region is facing increasing levels of overweight, obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), while at the same time coping with a persistent problem of acute and chronic undernutrition and deficiency diseases which are affecting some countries and some sectors of the population, particularly population groups under vulnerable conditions. The prevalence of obesity in adults in the Caribbean increased from 15.2% in 2000 to 24.7% in 2016, well above the global prevalence of 13.1%.

Objective

To assess the ability of low-income families to obtain a standard basket of healthy foods before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

The costs of 191 food items were averaged from supermarkets, municipal markets, wholesalers, and community food outlets in high- and low-income areas in three Caribbean countries. The analysis compared foods not only by selecting high- and low-ranked commodities but by the proportions of those foods, by food group, that will be required to meet a low-cost, nutritionally balanced diet of 2 400 kcal.

Objective

To evaluate how sociodemographic factors and food intake affect survey respondents’ perceptions of the quality of their diet.

Objective

To describe features of nutritional interventions implemented in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the past 20 years.

Methods

A rapid scoping review was conducted by searching PubMed and Web of Science databases for interventions conducted in SIDS that sought to improve the nutrition of their populations between 2000 and 2019 inclusive. The Noncommunicable diseases progress monitor 2020 was also examined to assess nutritional policies in SIDS.

Objectives

To determine changes to income and livelihood, food consumption, and hunger due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in three Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean: Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Objective

To identify and assess the determinants of unhealthy dietary habits among a sample of survey participants in Jamaica.