Impact of social support on limited mobility in older people in high Andean communities in Peru
Objective
To determine whether there is a relationship between physical mobility and lack of social support in elderly people living in high Andean communities in Peru.
Healthy aging determinants and disability among older adults: SABE Colombia
Objective
To identify the main factors associated with disability in older adults in Colombia, adjusted according to structural and intermediary determinants of healthy aging.
Active Aging Index in Colombia: analysis based on the national survey of health, well-being, and aging (SABE Colombia 2015)
Objectives
To describe the current state of the population aged 60 years and older in Colombia and to determine the Active Aging Index (AAI) and assess its domains.
Methods
Based on data collected during the national survey of health, well-being, and aging conducted in Colombia in 2015 (known as SABE Colombia 2015), the AAI for Colombia was calculated using the methodology applied in the countries of the European Union, with the same four domains. The methodology was adapted to the data provided by the survey and to the Colombian context.
Family help received by Mexican older adults across socioeconomic strata: changes over a critical decade
Objective
To identify how patterns of family economic support help alleviate the cumulative effects of inequality, with focus on the financial support that children give their elderly parents.
Call for emergency action to limit global temperature increases, restore biodiversity, and protect health
The UN General Assembly in September 2021 will bring countries together at a critical time for marshalling collective action to tackle the global environmental crisis. They will meet again at the biodiversity summit in Kunming, China, and the climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow, UK. Ahead of these pivotal meetings, we—the editors of health journals worldwide—call for urgent action to keep average global temperature increases below 1.5°C, halt the destruction of nature, and protect health.
Statistical literacy and risk communication for COVID-19 vaccination: a scoping review
Objective
To describe the role of statistical literacy and proper risk communication in communication strategies related to COVID-19 vaccination.
Methods
A scoping review was carried out in January 2021, with the keywords “statistical literacy,” “risk communication,” “health communication,” and “pandemic,” in the Pan American Health Organization Virtual Health Library, PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Google Scholar databases. No filters were applied for dates, language, or publication type.
Old age and the new ICD-11: Position of the Latin American Academy of Medicine for Older Persons
Since 1948, the World Health Organization has been publishing the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), a coded system of causes of disease and death with an in-depth revision every 10-15 years. In its latest revision, the ICD-11 uses nomenclature characterizing old age as “initial and final geriatric periods,” implying the medicalization of this stage of life, which has created confusion and sparked controversy.
Advances in tobacco control in the Region of the Americas, 2020
This report describes the current status of the tobacco control measures contained in the Strategy and Plan of Action to Strengthen Tobacco Control in the Region of the Americas 2018-2022 (Pan American Health Organization) and the advances made in its application, identifying achievements from 2016 to 2020 and challenges that still need to be addressed in order to reach the expected goals.
Development of a comprehensive public policy for adolescent pregnancy prevention in Uruguay
This article presents the main characteristics and achievements of Uruguay’s National and Intersectoral Strategy for Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy, implemented from 2016 to 2020. This strategy was implemented in a context in which unintentional adolescent pregnancy continues to be a major social problem for Uruguay and the Region, necessitating comprehensive, sustained, and evidence-based public policies. In Uruguay, adolescent fertility rates have remained high for over a decade.