Contrary Perceptions of Environmental Health and the Governance of the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area, Colombia.

The participation of civil society is essential for environmental health policies to be accepted. The objective of this study was to know the perceptions of government officials, members of civil society, and academics about environmental health problems and its governance in the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area, Colombia. In the region, there is a strong citizens movement that defends the moorland ecosystem (páramo) as a source of drinking water for large-scale mining projects.

Loss of ancestral food practices and perception of its effect on children's health among Inga indigenous grandmothers, Nariño, Colombia.

Objective: Novel foods and dietary practices, a lack of available land, and displacement by armed conflict have affected the ancestral food traditions practiced by the Inga community in Aponte, in Nariño, Colombia. These factors have led to problems with food security and malnutrition, which have impacted the growth and development of children. Therefore, this study is aimed at identifying the changes in ancestral food practices reported by Inga grandmothers, and the possibility of recuperating them in order to improve children's health.

Empoderamiento y búsqueda de atención en salud: un factor ignorado de la mortalidad materna en una comunidad indígena mexicana.

Resumen: Objetivo: Indagar la vinculación entre expresiones del empoderamiento (autonomía y poder de decisión) y las prácticas de autocuidado y de búsqueda de atención durante el embarazo y posterior al parto, en relación con la mortalidad materna, en mujeres indígenas del municipio de Santa María Temaxcaltepec, Oaxaca, México. Métodos: se realizaron seis grupos focales: dos con mujeres embarazadas; dos con madres de niños <3 años de edad, y dos con hombres quienes en los últimos tres años fueron padres. Resultados: la hegemonía masculina en el contexto familiar y en las instituciones de salud, dificulta la autonomía y el poder de decisión de las mujeres sobre su salud reproductiva.

Development of an educational intervention to promote healthy eating and physical activity in Mexican school-age children.

Mexico has the highest and most alarming rates of childhood obesity worldwide. A study conducted in the State of Mexico revealed that one of every three children presents overweight or obesity. The objective of this paper is to provide a step-by-step description of the design and implementation of an educational intervention to promote healthy eating and physical activity called "Healthy Recess".

Effects of an intervention strategy for school children aimed at reducing overweight and obesity within the State of Mexico.

Objective: This study explored the intervention effect of the "Nutrition on the Go" strategy on the prevalence of overweight and obesity (OW+O), according to the role played by different patterns.

Materials And Methods: Pattern Groups (PG) were determined based on schools' food availability and other variables at individual level: nutrition knowledge, physical activity, socioeconomic level and self-efficacy, using an ecological approach. The PG classification was achieved using Ward's cluster method.

[Gender and work: the experience of providers of health services to indigenous women from Guerrero y Oaxaca].

The scope of this paper was to identify the role of gender for women as workers, through the perception and discourse of health service providers at the 'Health Centers for Indigenous Women' ("Casas de Salud de las Mujeres Indígenas") in Ometepec, Guerrero and Matías Romero, Oaxaca, Mexico. It is a qualitative study, based on a secondary analysis of the interviews conducted as part of the "Rescatando la experiencia de la Casa de la Mujer Indígena: sistematización y evaluación del proceso" project. A strong sense of the value of work and a strong commitment towards the community were identified.

Effectiveness of a diet and physical activity promotion strategy on the prevention of obesity in Mexican school children.

Background: Overweight and obesity in children in Mexico was among the countries with the highest prevalence's in the world. Mexico currently has few innovative and comprehensive experiences to help curb the growth of this serious public health problem. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a nutrition and physical activity strategy, called "Nutrition on the Go" ("nutrición en movimiento") in maintaining the BMI values of school children in the State of Mexico.