The role of nurses in implementation of public policy on adolescent health in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Background: In Latin America, interventions aimed at adolescents' health suffer from a shortfall of investment and lack of sustainability. Nurses, as an integral part of health services and systems, can lead the implementation and development of public health policies to improve adolescent health.

Objective: To identify and analyze the role of nurses in the development and implementation of public policies and in the provision of health care to adolescents in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Homicide among young people in the countries of the Americas.

Objective: To examine the homicide trends among young people (10-24 years), adolescents (10-19 years), and young adults (20-24 years) in 33 countries in the Americas between 2000 and 2019, with a focus on inequalities between countries in the burden of homicides.

Methods: An ecological study was performed using estimated deaths from 33 countries. Age-adjusted rates, percentage change (PC), average annual percentage change (AAPC), and relative risk (RR) were estimated; besides, analysis on social inequalities was performed.

Effectiveness of a participatory approach to develop school health interventions in four low resource cities: study protocol of the 'empowering adolescents to lead change using health data' cluster randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Comprehensive local data on adolescent health are often lacking, particularly in lower resource settings. Furthermore, there are knowledge gaps around which interventions are effective to support healthy behaviours. This study generates health information for students from cities in four middle-income countries to plan, implement and subsequently evaluate a package of interventions to improve health outcomes.

Acceptability and continuation of use of the subdermal contraceptive implant among adolescents and young women in Argentina: a retrospective cohort study.

A new public policy was instituted in Argentina for free distribution of subdermal contraceptive implants to women aged 15-24 years old in the public healthcare system. The objective of this study is to determine the extent to which this population adhered to the implant, as well as predictors of continuation. The retrospective cohort study was based on a telephone survey of a random sample of 1101 Ministry of Health-registered implant users concerning the continuation of use, satisfaction with the method and side-effects, and reasons for removal.

Analysing the context and characteristics of legal abortion and comprehensive post-abortion care among adolescents aged 10-14 in a network of sentinel centres in Latin America: a retrospective cross-sectional study, 2016-2020.

Pregnancy-related complications are a substantial source of morbidity and mortality among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries. While the youngest adolescents (those aged 10-14) are considered to be at particularly high risk of adverse outcomes, there is little empirical data available on their sexual and reproductive health. Using a unique dataset of clinical records drawn from a regional network of sentinel centres providing legal abortion and comprehensive post-abortion care in 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries, we described the population of adolescents aged 10-14 seeking legal abortion and post-abortion care and calculated institutional rates of complications, using older adolescents (aged 15-19) and young adults (aged 20-24) as comparator groups.

[Adolescents' and young people's experiences of health participation during the COVID-19 pandemic in ChileExperiências de participação de adolescentes e jovens na saúde em tempos de pandemia de COVID-19 no Chile].

Objective: Shed light on the experiences and determinants of young people's and adolescents' participation in formal participation mechanisms during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Chile.

Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive study with a qualitative approach, within the constructivist research paradigm. Three focus groups were conducted with key informants: young people and adolescents who regularly participate in advisory councils of Chile's Ministry of Health (MINSAL).

Inequalities in the health, nutrition, and wellbeing of Afrodescendant women and children: A cross-sectional analysis of ten Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Background: Afrodescendants are systematically affected by discrimination in the Americas and few multi-country studies addressed ethnic inequalities in health and wellbeing in the region. We aimed to investigate gaps in coverage of key health outcomes and socioeconomic inequalities between Afrodescendants and non-Afrodescendants populations in Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Methods: Using national household surveys (2011-2019) from ten countries, we analyzed absolute inequalities between Afrodescendants and a comparison group that includes non-Afrodescendants and non-Indigenous individuals (henceforth non-Afrodescendants) across 17 indicators in the continuum of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health.

[The Every Woman Every Child initiative: supporting countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to reduce social inequalities in healthA iniciativa "Todas as mulheres, todas as crianças" oferece apoio aos países da América Latina e Caribe para reduzir as desigualdades sociais de saúde].

Every Woman Every Child Latin America and the Caribbean (EWEC-LAC) was established in 2017 as a regional inter-agency mechanism. EWEC-LAC coordinates the regional implementation of the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), including adaptation to region specific needs, to end preventable deaths, ensure health and well-being and expand enabling environments for the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents. To advance the equitable achievement of these objectives, EWEC-LAC's three working groups collectively support LAC countries in measuring and monitoring social inequalities in health, advocating for their reduction, and designing and implementing equity-oriented strategies, policies and interventions.

[Masculinities and men's health in the Region of the AmericasMasculinidades e saúde dos homens na Região das Américas].

Objective: Describe health outcomes for men based on analysis of their interrelationship with masculinities, which will make it possible to identify actions to improve health outcomes of men, women, and children.

Methods: Update and expansion of the findings stated in the report on , published by the Pan American Health Organization in 2019, which was based on a targeted, up-to-date search for secondary data on men's health and other research addressing the topic.

Results: Men's and women's health is different, not only because of biological factors, but also because of gender constructs and inequalities, and the intersection of social determinants.

A systematic review of the prevalence of selected sexually transmitted infections in young people in Latin America.

Objective: To estimate the burden of (CT), (NG), (TP), and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections among people aged 10 to 25 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and LILACS databases were searched, as well as documents from regional organizations or national health Institutions. Population-based studies that reported prevalence or incidence of CT, NG, TP, and HPV detected through confirmatory tests in adolescents and young people were included.

The Every Woman Every Child initiative: supporting countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to reduce social inequalities in health.

The Every Woman Every Child Latin America and the Caribbean (EWEC-LAC) initiative was established in 2017 as a regional inter-agency mechanism. EWEC-LAC coordinates the regional implementation of the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), including adaptation to region specific needs, to end preventable deaths, ensure health and well-being and expand enabling environments for the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents. To advance the equitable achievement of these objectives, EWEC-LAC's three working groups collectively support LAC countries in measuring and monitoring social inequalities in health, advocating for their reduction, and designing and implementing equity-oriented strategies, policies and interventions.

Supporting every school to become a foundation for healthy lives.

As a setting where children and adolescents live and learn, linked to the family and embedded within the wider community, schools have an important influence on every student's health. Many health interventions have used schools as a platform, often for standalone programmatic initiatives to reduce health risks, and sometimes for more comprehensive approaches, but the interventions, uptake, and sustainability are generally disappointing. Evidence shows that, to improve health and to reduce inequality, all students must attend school from a young age and for as long as possible, and their educational success therein must be maximised.

The Political, Research, Programmatic, and Social Responses to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the 25 Years Since the International Conference on Population and Development.

Among the ground-breaking achievements of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) was its call to place adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) on global health and development agendas. This article reviews progress made in low- and middle-income countries in the 25 years since the ICPD in six areas central to ASRH-adolescent pregnancy, HIV, child marriage, violence against women and girls, female genital mutilation, and menstrual hygiene and health. It also examines the ICPD's contribution to the progress made.

Trends in adolescent first births in five countries in Latin America and the Caribbean: disaggregated data from demographic and health surveys.

Background: Adolescents in the Latin American and Caribbean region continue to experience poor reproductive health outcomes, including high rates of first birth before the age of 20 years. Aggregate national level data fails to identify groups where progress is particularly poor. This paper explores how trends in adolescent births have changed over time in five countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Peru) using data disaggregated by adolescent age group, wealth and urban / rural residence.

Looking back and moving forward: can we accelerate progress on adolescent pregnancy in the Americas?

Adolescent fertility rates in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) remain unacceptably high, especially compared to the region's declining total fertility rates. The Region has experienced the slowest progress of all regions in the world, and shows major differences between countries and between subgroups in countries. In 2013, LAC was also noted as the only region with a rising trend in pregnancies in adolescents younger than 15 years.

Prenatal Transmission of Syphilis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Brazil: Achieving Regional Targets for Elimination.

Background.  The Pan-American Health Organization has called for reducing (1) human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) to ≤0.30 infections/1000 live births (LB), (2) HIV MTCT risk to ≤2.

Syphilis testing in antenatal care: Policies and practices among laboratories in the Americas.

Objective: To asses laboratory syphilis testing policies and practices among laboratories in the Americas.

Methods: Laboratory directors or designees from PAHO member countries were invited to participate in a structured, electronically-delivered survey between March and August, 2014. Data on syphilis tests, algorithms, and quality control (QC) practices were analyzed, focusing on laboratories receiving specimens from antenatal clinics (ANCs).

Maternal and congenital syphilis in selected Latin America and Caribbean countries: a multi-country analysis using data from the Perinatal Information System.

Unlabelled: Background Maternal syphilis has an important impact on reproductive health. In 2010, World Health Organization (WHO)/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) member countries approved the Strategy and Plan of Action for Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and Congenital Syphilis in the Americas by 2015. This paper aims to describe epidemiological and programmatic characteristics related to maternal and congenital syphilis in selected countries of Latin America and Caribbean for the period 2010-12.

Evidence on delay in sexual initiation, multiple partnerships and condom use among young people: review of Caribbean HIV behavioural studies.

Objective: To develop a Caribbean regional profile of youth sexual behaviour associated with risk of HIV.

Design And Methods: A review of sexual behaviour surveys with youth aged 15-24 years was conducted as part of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) HIV Caribbean Office's Review and Gender Analysis of Caribbean HIV Behavioural and Seroprevalence Studies. Studies with internationally recommended indicators were prioritized.