Assessing Environmental Justice in Mexico: How Polluting Industries and Healthcare Disparities Impact Congenital Heart Defects.

Background: Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most prevalent birth defects globally and the second leading cause of death in Mexican children under five. This study examines how industrial activity and social vulnerabilities independently and jointly influence CHD incidence across 2446 Mexican municipalities from 2008 to 2019.

Methods: Using negative binomial regression models, we evaluated associations between polluting industries, healthcare access, and CHD incidence.

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El daño por plomo a la salud poblacional no es el saturnismo, sino la intoxicación crónica a dosis bajas. Aunque la máxima en toxicología de "a mayor dosis, mayor el efecto" aplica al plomo, enfocarse en prevenir exposiciones bajas o moderadas es más relevante para la salud pública. Esta es la paradoja de la prevención de la intoxicación con plomo: la gran mayoría de las personas tiene concentraciones relativamente bajas de plomo en sangre, pero al no haberse identificado un umbral por debajo del cual el plomo en sangre no dañe la salud, es en estos casos en donde más se concentra la carga total de la enfermedad atribuible al plomo.

The association between lead exposure and crime: A systematic review.

Prior research has demonstrated an association between lead exposure and criminal behavior at the population-level, however studies exploring the effect of lead exposure on criminal behavior at the individual-level have not been reviewed systematically. The intent of this study is to complete a systematic review of all studies assessing individual-level exposures to lead and the outcomes of crime and antisocial behavior traits. We included peer reviewed studies that were published prior to August 2022 and were classified as cohort, cross-sectional, or case-control.

Total Excess Mortality Surveillance for Real-Time Decision-Making in Disasters and Crises.

Crises such as Hurricane Maria and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have revealed that untimely reporting of the death toll results in inadequate interventions, impacts communication, and fuels distrust on response agencies. Delays in establishing mortality are due to the contested definition of deaths attributable to a disaster and lack of rapid collection of vital statistics data from inadequate health system infrastructure. Readily available death counts, combined with geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic data, can serve as a baseline to build a continuous mortality surveillance system.

Five deficits to tackle by the future public health education.

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The impact of Hurricane Maria on individuals living with non-communicable disease in Puerto Rico: the experience of 10 communities.

Background: Coinciding with the rising non-communicable disease (NCD) prevalence worldwide is the increasing frequency and severity of natural hazards. Protecting populations with NCDs against natural hazards is ever more pressing given their increased risk of morbidity and mortality in disaster contexts. This investigation examined Hurricane Maria's impacts across ten lower SES municipalities in Puerto Rico with varying community characteristics and hurricane impacts to understand experiences of supporting individuals with NCD management in the six-month period following the hurricane.

The Impact of Natural Hazards on Older Adult Health: Lessons Learned From Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Objective: With natural hazards increasing in frequency and severity and global population aging, preparedness efforts must evolve to address older adults' risks in disasters. This study elucidates potential contributors to the elevated older adult mortality risk following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico through an examination of community stakeholder preparedness, response, and recovery experiences.

Methods: In April 2018, qualitative interviews (n = 22) were conducted with stakeholders in 7 Puerto Rican municipalities.

Commercial determinants of health: an ethical exploration.

Objectives: This paper seeks to contribute toward a better understanding of commercial determinants of health by proposing a set of ethical principles that can be used by researchers and other health actors in understanding and addressing Commercial Determinants of Health (CDoH).

Methods: The paper is mainly based on a systematic review and qualitative analysis of the existing literature on CDoH and public health ethics frameworks. We conducted searches using selected search engines (Google Scholar and Pubmed).

Differential and persistent risk of excess mortality from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico: a time-series analysis.

Background: Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on Sept 20, 2017, devastating the island. Controversy surrounded the official death toll, fuelled by estimates of excess mortality from academics and investigative journalists. We analysed all-cause excess mortality following the storm.

Desarrollo de la capacidad para la regulación en salud en México.

La Academia Nacional de Medicina es un espacio esencial para discutir la ciencia de la regulación en salud y posicionar su impacto en la salud y la economía. Enmarcada dentro de la función rectora de la autoridad sanitaria, la regulación en salud es la acción de proteger a la población de los peligros sanitarios involuntarios contra los cuales el individuo no puede protegerse; es una función esencial de la salud pública, componente institucional del sistema de salud y, por ende, vinculada a sus reformas y a la cobertura universal. La regulación tiene sustento en un cuerpo teórico epidemiológico, organizacional, legal, sociológico y económico.

[Regulatory elements on marijuana, for the effective population health protection].

When discussing the public health approach to the use of marijuana, the complexity of rigorous regulatory interventions for population protection is omitted. Using the experience of governments where these practices already exist, regulation is introduced as an essential public health function, spelling out seven purposes for controlling marijuana. The technical elements of institutional capacity -including the technical and financial capacity- and of governance that must be covered by any rigorous regulation of its use are detailed below.

Toward a research and action agenda on urban planning/design and health equity in cities in low and middle-income countries.

The importance of reestablishing the link between urban planning and public health has been recognized in recent decades; this paper focuses on the relationship between urban planning/design and health equity, especially in cities in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The physical urban environment can be shaped through various planning and design processes including urban planning, urban design, landscape architecture, infrastructure design, architecture, and transport planning. The resultant urban environment has important impacts on the health of the people who live and work there.

Implementation of Mexico's Health Promotion Operational Model.

Mexico is undergoing profound health reform, extending health insurance to previously uninsured populations and changing the way health care services are delivered. Legislation enacted in 2003 and implemented in 2004 mandated funding and infrastructure that will allow 52% of Mexico's population to access medical care at no cost by 2010. This ambitious social reform has not been without challenges, particularly financial sustainability.

The present and future of Mexican health promotion.

Mexico, with a 92 percent literacy, 62 native languages and 12.7 million indigenous people, has entered a new era of macroeconomic stability. Nevertheless 40 percent of the population live below the poverty line.

Mapping national capacity to engage in health promotion: overview of issues and approaches.

This paper reviews approaches to the mapping of resources needed to engage in health promotion at the country level. There is not a single way, or a best way to make a capacity map, since it should speak to the needs of its users as they define their needs. Health promotion capacity mapping is therefore approached in various ways.

Beyond managing healthcare risks: the health-promoting hospital initiative in Mexico.

The hospital industry is unique for having within it "customers" exposed to a complex mix of risks. A model is proposed that combines both the risk assessment and the promoting hospital models. This model acts in three stages: exposure elimination and protection, health aptitudes and culture, and hospital population action, and includes specific operations that can be tracked through specific effectiveness factors.

Motor alterations associated with exposure to manganese in the environment in Mexico.

Overexposure to manganese (Mn) causes neurotoxicity (a Parkinson-like syndrome) or psychiatric damage ("manganese madness"). Several studies have shown alterations to motor and neural behavior associated with exposure to Mn in the workplace. However, there are few studies on the effects of environmental exposure of whole populations.