National panorama of adolescent pregnancy in Mexico: lessons learned in a six-year period.

Globally, adolescent pregnancy constitutes a serious public health problem of a multifactorial nature. Specifically for women, it entails various educational, economic and social implications that affect their life project and widen the social gaps in this age group. Furthermore, adolescent girls are more vulnerable because of the health risk involved with pregnancy at a younger age. According to the World Health Organization, "the probability of maternal death is twice as high in adolescents in comparison with women aged between 20 and 30 years, and for those younger than 15 years, the risks are five times higher". In general, adolescents are in great need for education on sexual and reproductive health issues, which should be aimed at increasing information and knowledge about correct use and access to modern contraceptive methods, as well as at demystifying fears and beliefs around their possible side effects. Ensuring proper counseling with trained personnel is equally vital. Public institutions have a social responsibility to support efforts aimed at preventing adolescent pregnancy, based on relevant lines of action and health policies.

En el mundo, el embarazo adolescente constituye un grave problema de salud pública de índole multifactorial. Específicamente para la mujer conlleva diversas implicaciones educativas, económicas y sociales que afectan su proyecto de vida y amplían las brechas sociales en este grupo etario. Asimismo, las adolescentes son más vulnerables por el riesgo en salud que implica un embarazo a corta edad; según la Organización Mundial de la Salud, "la probabilidad de muerte materna es dos veces más en las adolescentes respecto a las mujeres que se encuentran entre los 20 y 30 años de edad, y para las menores de 15 años los riesgos son cinco veces mayores". En general, las y los adolescentes experimentan una gran necesidad de educación en temas sobre salud sexual y reproductiva, la cual debe dirigirse al aumento de información y conocimientos sobre el uso correcto y acceso a métodos anticonceptivos modernos, así como a desmitificar los temores y creencias en torno a sus posibles efectos secundarios. Asegurar una consejería adecuada y con personal capacitado es igualmente vital. Las instituciones públicas tienen la responsabilidad social de respaldar los esfuerzos encaminados a prevenir el embarazo adolescente, con base en las líneas de acción y políticas sanitarias.

Sexual health educational intervention in medical students.

INTRODUCTION: The National Autonomous University of Mexico Faculty of Medicine created the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, which is aimed at students. OBJECTIVE: To determine the sexual-reproductive health profile of medical students through a diagnostic questionnaire and of those who participated in an educational intervention on sexuality (three modules). METHOD: First-year undergraduate students, schoolyear 2017-2018, participated. Students were considered to be trained when they took at least one module. RESULTS: The questionnaire was answered by 1157 students, 21.9 % participated in at least one module, 43.1% had initiated sexual activity and 25 % received the educational intervention. Not having used a condom in their last intercourse was identified in 20 %, and a high prevalence of intercourse under the influence of alcohol was observed. CONCLUSIONS: It is important for specific sexuality competences to be promoted among those who will be doctors in the future.

INTRODUCCIÓN: La Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México creó el Programa de Prevención de Embarazo en Adolescentes, dirigido a estudiantes. OBJETIVO: Determinar el perfil de la salud sexual-reproductiva de estudiantes de medicina mediante un cuestionario diagnóstico y de quienes participaron en una intervención educativa de sexualidad (tres módulos). MÉTODO: Participaron estudiantes del primer año de la carrera, ciclo 2017-2018. Se consideró que el estudiante fue capacitado cuando cursó al menos un módulo. RESULTADOS: Contestaron el cuestionario 1157 estudiantes, 21.9 % participó en al menos un módulo, 43.1 % había iniciado vida sexual y 25 % recibió la intervención educativa. El 20 % no usó condón en su última relación y se observó alta prevalencia de relaciones sexuales bajo el influjo de alcohol. CONCLUSIONES: Es importante promover competencias específicas en sexualidad entre quienes serán los futuros médicos.

[Experiences of street harassment and associations with perceptions of social cohesion among women in Mexico City]. / Acoso en la calle y su asociación con percepciones de cohesión social entre mujeres en la Ciudad de México.

OBJECTIVE:: To document the frequency and forms of street harassment and examine the association between street harassment experiences and perceptions of social cohesion. MATERIALS AND METHODS:: Baseline survey data collected among women seeking care in public health clinics in Mexico City were used for analysis. RESULTS:: Nearly two-thirds (62.8%) of women reported experiencing some form of street harassment in the prior month; women with street harassment experiences reported significantly lower perceived social cohesion (b=-0.46; 95%CI: -0.69,-0.22). CONCLUSIONS:: Findings indicate reducing street harassment may have important implications for improving women's perceived social cohesion and their safety in Mexico City.

[Induced abortion in Mexico: what do Mexican Ob/Gyn know, think and do]. / Aborto inducido en México: qué piensan y hacen los ginecoobstetras.

BACKGROUND: The causals for legal abortion in Mexico vary as established by the Constitution of each State; from 2007 it is legal in Mexico City. OBJECTIVE: To identify knowledge, attitudes and practice of abortion between gynecologists and obstetricians. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Survey study conducted between some of the gynaeco-obstetricians attended the 64th Mexican Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics held in Mexico City, October 2013. RESULTS: From the 1,085 respondents, 77% correctly identified that abortion is legal accord to Constitutional Signs of each State; 17.5% said it is never legal and 5.7% thought that is always legal. The 67% comment that public institutions should have infrastructure and trained medical personnal to legal abortion practice. The 72% response they would attend or denounce the woman who underwent an abortion outlawed. The remaining 28% showed negative attitudes, from informing the couple or parents (18%), scold women (2%) or reporting it to the authorities (8%). In 39%, they felt that the medical profession who practice discriminates abortions; 28% admit stigmatize partener and 27% feel stigmatized if performing abortions. Percentage high hospitalized patients in case of early abortions, for surgical or medical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to increase and improve knowledge technical and legal about abortion, especially among gynaeco-obstetricians, they are who responsibility to comply about prescribed by law, in accordance with international recommendations and the exercise of reproductive rights of women.

Vascular cognitive disorders and depression after first-ever stroke: the Fogarty-Mexico Stroke Cohort.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke is the major cause of vascular behavior and cognitive disorders worldwide. In developing countries, there is a dearth of information regarding the public health magnitude of stroke. The aim of the Fogarty-Mexico cohort was to assess the prevalence of vascular behavioral and cognitive disorders, ranging from mild vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) to vascular dementia (VaD), in a cohort of acute first-ever symptomatic stroke patients in Mexico. METHODS: A total of 165 consecutive, first-ever stroke patients admitted to the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico City, were included in the cohort. Patients were eligible if they had an ischemic stroke, primary intracerebral hemorrhage, or cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). Stroke diagnosis required the presence of an acute focal deficit lasting more than 24 h, confirmed by a corresponding lesion on CT/MRI. Stroke severity was established with the NIH Stroke Scale. The pre-stroke functional status was determined by the IQCODE. Three months after the occurrence of stroke, 110 survivor patients returned for follow-up and were able to undergo functional outcome (modified Rankin scale, Barthel index), along with neurological, psychiatric, neuropsychological, laboratory, and imaging assessments. We compared depression, demographic, and clinical and imaging features between patients with and without dementia, and between patients with VCI and those with intact cognition. RESULTS: Of the 110 patients (62% men, mean age 56 ± 17.8, education 7.7 ± 5.2 years) 93 (84%) had ischemic strokes, 14 (13%) intracerebral hemorrhage, and 3 (3%) CVT. The main risk factors were hypertension (50%), smoking (40%), hypercholesterolemia (29%), hyperhomocysteinemia (24%), and diabetes (22%). Clinical and neuropsychological evaluations demonstrated post-stroke depression in 56%, VCI in 41%, and VaD in 12%; 17% of the latter had pre-stroke functional impairment (IQCODE >3.5). Cognitive deficits included executive function in 69%, verbal memory in 49%, language in 38%, perception in 36%, and attention in 38%. Executive dysfunction occurred in 36% of non-demented subjects, 65% of them with mild-moderate deficits in daily living activities. Female gender (p ≤ 0.054), older age (mean age 65.6 years vs. 49.3, p < 0.001), diabetes (p ≤ 0.004), illiteracy and lower education (p ≤ 0.001), and PSD (p = 0.03) were significantly higher in VCI-VaD compared with cognitively intact post-stroke subjects. We could not demonstrate an association with lesion site and distribution of the cognitive deficits. CONCLUSIONS: The Fogarty-Mexico cohort recruited relatively young acute stroke patients, compared with other Mexican stroke cohorts. PSD and VCI occurred frequently but prevalence of VaD (12%) was lower than expected. A high prevalence of treatable stroke risk factors suggests that preventive interventions are advisable.

Evaluating a health care provider delivered intervention to reduce intimate partner violence and mitigate associated health risks: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial in Mexico City.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization is a prevalent issue among women residing in Mexico City. Comprehensive and integrated health care provider (HCP) delivered programs in clinic-settings are needed, yet few have been evaluated in Latin America, including Mexico. In addition, there has been minimal attention to interventions among lower income women presenting at settings outside of antenatal care clinics. The current randomized controlled trial seeks to increase midlevel HCPs' capacity, specifically nurses, who are often the first point of contact in this setting, to identify women presenting at health clinics with experiences of IPV and to assist these women with health risk mitigation. Specific outcomes include changes in past-year IPV (physical and/or sexual), reproductive coercion, safety planning, use of community resources, and quality of life. METHODS/DESIGN: Forty-two public health clinics in Mexico City were randomized to treatment or control clinics. Nurses meeting eligibility criteria in treatment groups received an intensive training on screening for IPV, providing supportive referrals, and assessing for health and safety risks. Nurses meeting eligibility criteria at control clinics received the standard of care which included a one-day training focused on sensitizing staff to IPV as a health issue and referral cards to give to women. Women were screened for eligibility (currently experiencing abuse in a heterosexual relationship, 18-44 years of age, non-pregnant or in first trimester) by research assistants in private areas of waiting rooms in health clinics. Consenting women completed a baseline survey and received the study protocol for that clinic. In treatment clinics, women received the nurse delivered session at baseline and received a follow-up counseling session after three months. Surveys are conducted at baseline, three months, and fifteen months from baseline. DISCUSSION: This study will provide important insight into whether a nurse-delivered program can assist women currently experiencing abuse in a Latin American context. Findings can be used to inform IPV programs and policies in Mexico City's public health clinics. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01661504.

Qualitative evidence on abortion stigma from Mexico City and five states in Mexico.

Social manifestations of abortion stigma depend upon cultural, legal, and religious context. Abortion stigma in Mexico is under-researched. This study explored the sources, experiences, and consequences of stigma from the perspectives of women who had had an abortion, male partners, and members of the general population in different regional and legal contexts. We explored abortion stigma in Mexico City where abortion is legal in the first trimester and five states-Chihuahua, Chiapas, Jalisco, Oaxaca, and Yucatán-where abortion remains restricted. In each state, we conducted three focus groups-men ages 24-40 years (n = 36), women 25-40 years (n = 37), and young women ages 18-24 years (n = 27)-and four in-depth face-to-face interviews in total; two with women (n = 12) and two with the male partners of women who had had an abortion (n = 12). For 4 of the 12 women, this was their second abortion. This exploratory study suggests that abortion stigma was influenced by norms that placed a high value on motherhood and a conservative Catholic discourse. Some participants in this study described abortion as an "indelible mark" on a woman's identity and "divine punishment" as a consequence. Perspectives encountered in Mexico City often differed from the conservative postures in the states.

Problematic Use of Smartphones and Social Media on Sleep Quality of High School Students in Mexico City.

BACKGROUND: Smartphones, internet access, and social media represent a new form of problematic behavior and can affect how teens sleep. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was employed to examine the prevalence and association of problematic internet use and problematic smartphone use with sleep quality in a non-probability sample of 190 high school students in Mexico. The internet-related experiences questionnaire (IREQ), the mobile-related experiences questionnaire (MREQ), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used. RESULTS: The study revealed that 66% of participants exhibited some form of problematic internet use, primarily in the form of social media use; 68% had some form of problematic smartphone use, and 84% reported poor sleep quality. The PSQI score was most accurately predicted by problematic smartphone use (MREQ), followed by enrollment in the morning school shift, participation in sports, the father's education level, and knowledge that "smartphone use disturbs sleep", which together explained 23% of the variation in sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS: Excessive smartphone use may negatively affect sleep quality in adolescents. We recommended that interventions be implemented to educate adolescents about appropriate and healthy use of technology, in parallel with the promotion of preventive sleep habits.

The Role of Functional Deficits, Depression, and Cognitive Symptoms in the Perceived Loneliness of Older Adults in Mexico City.

The world is aging and experiencing loneliness. Functional impairment in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) in older people (OP) with mild neurocognitive disorder (MNCD) predicts loneliness. After the pandemic, there was an increase in perceived loneliness. We explored the association between loneliness, depression, deficits in IADL, and cognitive symptoms among OP. From February to December 2023, using a cross-sectional design, we interviewed probable cases with mild cognitive impairment and caregivers in two public facilities. We administered the UCLA Loneliness Scale v3, Lawton IADL Scale, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Yesavage's Geriatric Depression Scale. Samples were matched: 85 per group, 82.4% were women, married (52.95%), and mean age of 69.17 (±6.93) years. In our study, 30% displayed moderate to high levels of perceived loneliness. Multivariate analysis showed loneliness was associated with depression, low levels of IADL, and older age, but not with cognitive symptoms, which explained 22% of the total variance (F 165) = 16.99, (p < 0.001). Targeting symptoms and behaviors that could be modified (i.e., depression and functionality) can improve feelings of perceived loneliness and have an impact on morbidity and mortality with which it is associated.

Decriminalization of abortion in Mexico City: the effects on women's reproductive rights.

In April 2007, the Mexico City, Mexico, legislature passed landmark legislation decriminalizing elective abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. In Mexico City, safe abortion services are now available to women through the Mexico City Ministry of Health's free public sector legal abortion program and in the private sector, and more than 89 000 legal abortions have been performed. By contrast, abortion has continued to be restricted across the Mexican states (each state makes its own abortion laws), and there has been an antichoice backlash against the legislation in 16 states. Mexico City's abortion legislation is an important first step in improving reproductive rights, but unsafe abortions will only be eliminated if similar abortion legislation is adopted across the entire country.

Sleep and Perceived Stress: An Exploratory Mediation Analysis of the Role of Self-Control and Resilience among University Students.

BACKGROUND: High levels of stress are frequent in university education, and a lack of sleep has been reported to make students more vulnerable to stress. The mechanisms through which sleep harms students have not been sufficiently clarified; therefore, this study aimed to explore the mediating role of self-control and resilience in the relationship between sleep quality and duration and perceived stress. METHODS: Of 32 first-year college students, 21 (78%) were women, with a mean age of 18.47 (±0.84). They responded to a self-administered survey that included questions on stress, resilience, and sleep quality and recorded their daily sleep duration using a wristband for six days. RESULTS: Perceived stress was significantly correlated with resilience (r = -0.63), self-control (r = -0.46), sleep duration (r = -0.35), and lower sleep quality (r = 0.57). Path analysis revealed that self-control and resilience were partially mediated by sleep quality (R2 = 0.62; p < 0.01) and completely mediated by sleep duration (R2 = 0.46; p < 0.01). In both models, self-control had a direct effect on resilience and had a good-fit index. CONCLUSION: Being resilient seems to play a mediating role in the relationship between sleep and perceived stress; this ability can be favored by self-control, which is directly influenced by sleep.

The association between low cognitive reserve and subjective memory complaints in functionally independent older women.

BACKGROUND: Several factors have been found to defend against pathologic cognitive decline in aging (i.e., cognitive reserve [CR]); however, other factors, including subjective memory complaints (SMC) and decreased functionality are considered early indicators of underlying neurocognitive dysfunction. Despite these known associations, the relationship between the presence of CR and SMC remains equivocal. This study sought to determine the relationship between objectively measured CR and SMC in a sample of functionally independent older women. METHODS: This cross-sectional study recruited women aged ≥60 years who attended fitness or continuing education programs at the University for Seniors in Mexico City. Participants underwent a battery of physical and cognitive evaluations, including the Cognitive Reserve Questionnaire (CRQ), and were asked probing questions used to identify the presence of SMC. RESULTS: The 269 participants had a median age of 69 years; most were single (40.5 %), lived alone (32.7 %), retired (58.2 %), well-educated (≥12 years of education), and functionally independent (89.2 %). 62 % scored "high" on the CRQ, while 9.3 % scored "low". After adjusting for multiple covariates, an independent association between CRQ score and the probability to have SMC was found (adjusted OR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.80-0.95, p-value = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: This study identified a relationship between low CR and the presence of SMC, independently of the cognitive function and motoric marker of muscle strength (i.e., low gait speed and handgrip strength) in functionally independent older women over 60y. This relationship remains independent of other variables such as age, symptoms of depression and instrumented activities of daily living.

Dating Violence among Undergraduate Medical Students at a Public University in Mexico City: An Exploratory Study.

Gender-based violence (GBV) and cyber-aggression are growing problems in Mexico, but there is a dearth of information on their associated risks. We aimed to determine the prevalence of dating violence (DV) and cyber-aggression in a public campus and compared students' acceptability of abusive DV based on their sex and sexual orientation. We employed a cross-sectional design to survey 964 first-year medical students attending a public university. We analyzed who found "acceptable" abusive behaviors from a dating partner and carried out descriptive analyses of sample characteristics by sex. We included 633 women and 331 men. Homosexual and bisexual orientation was lower among women (1.5%, 4.8%) vs. men (16.9%, 7.2%). Of women and men, respectively, 64.2% and 35.8% reported having been in a dating relationship. Experiencing abusive behaviors in the year prior to the study was associated with students' level of "acceptability". A total of 43.5% of the students who experienced cyber-aggression did not report any mental health consequences, 32.6% did not seek professional help, and 17.4% reported feeling depressed. Students that accepted emotionally abusive DV behaviors displayed a fourfold risk of experiencing physical abuse. Women and sexual minorities are more at risk of experiencing GBV and DV. More male students reported being victims of cyber-aggression.

[Mexico City's Legal Abortion Program: health workers' experiences]. / El Programa de Interrupción Legal del Embarazo en la Ciudad de México: experiencias del personal de salud.

OBJECTIVE: Identify the perceptions and opinions of people who provide abortion services in Mexico City, three years after implementation of elective abortion legal reforms. METHODS: Nineteen in-depth interviews of health workers assigned to the legal abortion programs at a clinic and a hospital in Mexico's Federal District were carried out between February and June of 2010. Information on sociodemographic data, professional training, and experience in providing services was collected. RESULTS: Some interviewees thought the provision of free services was beneficial because it allowed lower-income women to access this type of care, whereas others interviewed disapproved of the lack of fees, since other gynecological and obstetric health services have to be paid for. Conscientious objection prevailed among newly hired health workers, which can be attributed to their lack of knowledge about the legal abortion program's legal and technical guidelines. Some workers were ambivalent because they did not accept a postabortion contraception method used by some women, perceiving it to be a factor in significant repeated demand for legal abortion services. CONCLUSIONS: Health workers evince divided and ambivalent opinions with regard to abortion rights. Analyzing their experiences and opinions will facilitate the creation of a baseline on the subject, and future studies will be able to document changes in and any lessening of approval for this law in Mexico.

Assessing the effectiveness of a patient-driven partner notification strategy among pregnant women infected with syphilis in Bolivia.

OBJECTIVE: Assess the feasibility and acceptability of a patient-led syphilis partner notification strategy among pregnant women with syphilis, their male partners and treatment completion in Bolivia. METHODS: In four provinces, women who had tested positive for syphilis while attending antenatal care visits were recruited to receive a partner notification (PN) intervention on how to notify partners of their positive diagnosis and encourage them to get tested/treated. All women who completed PN counselling and notified their male partners completed self-administered questionnaires regarding PN experiences. Sociodemographic characteristics associated with notification and partner treatment completion were assessed using bivariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: 144 women and 137 male partners participated; 78% women notified their partners. No women characteristics were significantly associated with PN. Significantly more male partners (85%) who were notified by women completed syphilis treatment (p<0.05) compared to those notified by providers (66%). In multivariate analysis, men notified by female partners had a threefold greater odds of treatment completion compared to men who had not been notified by partners or by someone else (ie, healthcare worker) (OR 3.45, 95% CI 1.21 to 9.90). 86% of women and 80% of men completed syphilis treatment. Our results suggest that lack of time was considered a barrier to care among men who did not complete treatment. CONCLUSION: A patient-led partner notification strategy for pregnant women and their male partners appears to be feasible and acceptable, providing evidence for larger-scale effectiveness studies to improve male partner treatment compliance.

The Paradoxical Effect of Living Alone on Cognitive Reserve and Mild Cognitive Impairment among Women Aged 60+ in Mexico City.

An elderly person who lives alone must often be autonomous and self-sufficient in daily living activities. We explored if living alone and marital status were associated with mild cognitive impairment and low cognitive reserve in a sample of Mexican women aged 60+ attending continuing education courses using a cross-sectional design. Objective cognitive functions were assessed using the MMSE and Blessed Dementia Scale. We administered the Cognitive Reserve Questionnaire. Independence skills were assessed with the Katz index and Lawton index. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used. We recruited 269 participants (x¯ = 69.0 ± 5.8 years). Single, widowed, separated, and divorced women comprised 73% of the participants. A third lived alone and 84% had completed high school. Mild cognitive deficit was observed among 24.5-29.0%; the upper range for cognitive reserve was 61.7%. Living alone versus living with someone was associated with cognitive impairment (OR = 0.51, p = 0.04) and with low to medium cognitive reserve (OR = 0.51, p = 0.02) after adjusting for confounding variables. Living alone was an independent factor associated with a lower probability of displaying mild cognitive impairment and a higher probability of displaying high cognitive reserve. Women living alone in this study had a more robust cognitive framework and had built their own support networks.

Clinical characteristics of fatalities due to influenza A (H1N1) virus in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: Mexico has experienced a disproportionate mortality burden due to the influenza A(HIN1) pandemic. A study was undertaken to investigate the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the first 100 patients who died from confirmed influenza A(H1N1). METHODS: A clinical evaluation was made of the first 100 consecutive deaths of confirmed cases between 10 April and 28 May 2009 reported by the Federal Ministry of Health. Statistical analysis included disease frequencies and descriptive comparisons with national health data. RESULTS: Most patients (60%) were aged 30-79 years, 53% were female and 40% were residents of Mexico City. On admission, 50% had one or more chronic medical conditions including metabolic syndrome (40%), cardiovascular disease (21%), diabetes (20%), hypertension (20%) and respiratory disease (8%). 38% of women and 26% of men were obese based on body mass index). The main clinical symptoms were fever (84%), cough (85%), dyspnoea (75%) and myalgia (30%). The frequency of all chronic diseases was higher in this sample than in the national statistics. Most (82%) developed symptoms before the Mexican government issued the influenza alert (24 April). Median hospital stay prior to death was 4 days (range 0-58). CONCLUSIONS: Patients, mostly young adults, who died from A(HIN1) influenza had a high frequency of one or more chronic diseases upon admission. Most died shortly after the health authorities initiated national influenza control measures.

Abortion and women's roles in society: opinions from Tlaxcala, Mexico.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to assess the opinions of Mexicans in the state of Tlaxcala on abortion and other topics concerning women's reproductive health and status in society. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We summarize opinions on abortion and women's roles in society and perform logit regressions to assess characteristics correlated with support for abortion rights. RESULTS: A majority of respondents were against a woman's right to abortion when asked generally, but when asked about specific circumstances, a majority supported the right to abortion in five of the nine hypothetical circumstances proposed. In multivariate analysis, age, education, religion, religious service attendance, and views regarding women's roles in society had significant effects on support for the right to abortion. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that residents of Tlaxcala view abortion as a personal decision and support a woman's right to abortion in more circumstances than currently allowed under state law.

Twelve years after abortion decriminalization in Mexico City: Can we still remain an island of liberties?

Latin America hosts the most restrictive abortion legislation globally. In 2007, Mexico, the second largest Catholic country in the world, decriminalized elective abortion within the first twelve weeks of pregnancy in the capital: Mexico City (also known as Federal District of Mexico). Following the reform, the Mexico City Ministry of Health (MX-MOH) implemented safe and legal services. Free services are provided to Mexico City residents and a sliding fee of up to $100 is applied to women from other Mexican states. Conscientious objection (CO) was addressed and included in service provision guidelines. Since 2007, 18 of 32 states amended their penal codes to restrict abortion. The road toward increasing access to abortion services at the MX-MOH included a shift from dilation and curettage (D&C) to medical abortion (MA), first with the misoprostol-alone regimen, followed by the combined mifepristone-misoprostol regimen. Manual vacuum aspiration is offered to out-of-state-women or to those beyond the gestational age where MA is less effective. Contraceptive uptake among abortion seekers is high (up to 95% of them prefer a free method of their choice). The Legal Interruption of Pregnancy program at the MX-MOH continues to provide effective, safe, reliable, and free services. However, women from indigenous groups residing in rural areas, those with low schooling, and adolescents with an unintended pregnancy who live in rural, urban, peri-urban districts, and at the state level are underserved despite being legally eligible to receive abortion services. Therefore, information and services for the disadvantaged groups need to be strengthened.

The relationship between remittances and health care provision in Mexico.

OBJECTIVES: We examined whether remittances sent from the United States to Mexico were used to access health care in Mexico. METHODS: Data were from a 2006 survey of 2 localities in the municipal city of Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico. We used logistic regression to determine whether household remittance expenditure on health care was associated with type of health insurance coverage. RESULTS: Individuals who lacked insurance coverage or who were covered by the Seguro Popular program were significantly more likely to reside in households that spend remittances on health care than were individuals covered by an employer-based insurance program. CONCLUSIONS: Improving the coverage and quality of care within Mexico's health care system will help ensure that remittances serve as a complement, and not a substitute, to formal access to care.