Early-life external exposome in children 2-5 years old in Colombia.

Exposome studies are advancing in high-income countries to understand how multiple environmental exposures impact health. However, there is a significant research gap in low- and middle-income and tropical countries. We aimed to describe the spatiotemporal variation of the external exposome, its correlation structure between and within exposure groups, and its dimensionality.

Delineating the Seasonality of Varicella and Its Association With Climate in the Tropical Country of Colombia.

Background: Varicella causes a major health burden in many low- to middle-income countries located in tropical regions. Because of the lack of surveillance data, however, the epidemiology of varicella in these regions remains uncharacterized. In this study, based on an extensive dataset of weekly varicella incidence in children ≤10 during 2011-2014 in 25 municipalities, we aimed to delineate the seasonality of varicella across the diverse tropical climates of Colombia.

Characterization of the external exposome and its contribution to the clinical respiratory and early biological effects in children: The PROMESA cohort study protocol.

Background: Air pollution contains a mixture of different pollutants from multiple sources. However, the interaction of these pollutants with other environmental exposures, as well as their harmful effects on children under five in tropical countries, is not well known.

Objective: This study aims to characterize the external exposome (ambient and indoor exposures) and its contribution to clinical respiratory and early biological effects in children.

Understanding how socioeconomic inequalities drive inequalities in COVID-19 infections.

Across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected economically disadvantaged groups. This differential impact has numerous possible explanations, each with significantly different policy implications. We examine, for the first time in a low- or middle-income country, which mechanisms best explain the disproportionate impact of the virus on the poor.

COVID-19 spread, detection, and dynamics in Bogota, Colombia.

Latin America has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic but estimations of rates of infections are very limited and lack the level of detail required to guide policy decisions. We implemented a COVID-19 sentinel surveillance study with 59,770 RT-PCR tests on mostly asymptomatic individuals and combine this data with administrative records on all detected cases to capture the spread and dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bogota from June 2020 to early March 2021. We describe various features of the pandemic that appear to be specific to a middle income countries.

An asbestos contaminated town in the vicinity of an asbestos-cement facility: The case study of Sibaté, Colombia.

Introduction: The asbestos industry began operations in Colombia in 1942, with an asbestos-cement facility located in the municipality of Sibaté. In recent years residents from Sibaté have been complaining about what they consider is an unusually large number of people diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases in the town. A study to analyze the situation of Sibaté started in 2015, to verify if the number of asbestos related diseases being diagnosed were higher than expected, and to identify potential asbestos exposure sources in the town.

[The WHO model as a guideline for public health based on social determinants].

Public health has developed based on multiple approaches, including the guidelines of the health systems, the community or the individuals. This paper intends to identify the conceptual models of public health that arise after analyzing health or disease categories, as well as the level at which social response occurs: the individual or a family, biophysical and social environment; hygienist or preventive mode. Considering that the concept of model is not only a representation of reality, but an ontological position that allows to understand society and the State, all models are part of a theory and converge with other theories to create a framework of analysis.

[Respiratory symptoms associated with air pollution in five localities of Bogotá, 2008-2011, a dynamic cohort study].

Introduction: High levels of air pollution increase respiratory morbidity in children under five years of age.

Objective: To know the incidence of respiratory symptoms and its associated factors in five localities of Bogota.

Materials And Methods: A dynamic cohort study was undertaken with a sample size of 3,278 children from five localities split into two groups according to the degree of exposure to particulate matter.

[Evaluation of results and impact of the first phase of a community based mental health model in localities in Bogotá, D.C].

Objectives: The results and impact of the first phase of a Community Based Mental Health Model, developed in the South network by the Bogota Health authority and the Tunjuelito hospital during 2002 were evaluated. The first phase of the program included the formation of health community agents, communitary screening of mental health done through home visits, referrals to the services network and an increase in the nodes of the network of good treatment.

Methods: The indicators of before (year 2001) and after (year 2002) the application of the model were compared, as well as the variations between the study groups (South network) and the control group (Central-Eastern network).