Gender and non-communicable diseases in Mexico: a political mapping and stakeholder analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mexico and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) present a growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with gender-differentiated risk factors and access to prevention, diagnosis and care. However, the political agenda in LMICs as it relates to health and gender is primarily focused on sexual and reproductive health rights and preventing violence against women. This research article analyses public policies related to gender and NCDs, identifying political challenges in the current response to women's health needs, and opportunities to promote interventions that recognize the role of gender in NCDs and NCD care in Mexico. METHODS: We carried out a political mapping and stakeholder analysis during July-October of 2022, based on structured desk research and interviews with eighteen key stakeholders related to healthcare, gender and NCDs in Mexico. We used the PolicyMaker V5 software to identify obstacles and opportunities to promote interventions that recognize the role of gender in NCDs and NCD care, from the perspective of the political stakeholders interviewed. RESULTS: We found as a political obstacle that policies and stakeholders addressing NCDs do not take a gender perspective, while policies and stakeholders addressing gender equality do not adequately consider NCDs. The gendered social and economic aspects of the NCD burden are not widely understood, and the multi-sectoral approach needed to address these aspects is lacking. Economic obstacles show that budget cuts exacerbated by the pandemic are a significant obstacle to social protection mechanisms to support those caring for people living with NCDs. CONCLUSIONS: Moving towards an effective, equity-promoting health and social protection system requires the government to adopt an intersectoral, gender-based approach to the prevention and control of NCDs and the burden of NCD care. Despite significant resource constraints, policy innovation may be possible given the willingness among some stakeholders to collaborate, particularly in the labour and legal sectors. However, care will be needed to ensure the implementation of new policies has a positive impact on both gender equity and health outcomes. Research on successful approaches in other contexts can help to identify relevant learnings for Mexico.

Adolescent use of outpatient health services in Mexico: their health needs and associated factors.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate adolescent use of outpatient services, identifying their health needs and associated socioeconomic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using data from Ensanut 2018-2019, adolescents (ages 10-19) with health needs and those receiving care from health personnel (users) were identified. Needs were analyzed by sex and socioeconomic status (SES). Logistic models were used to assess the factors associated with the use of health care and choice of provider. RESULTS: 6% of adolescents reported health needs, of whom 64% used outpatient services. Respiratory and gastrointestinal infections were the principal health needs prompting use of services overall. However, by SES, motivations centered on pregnancy for the poor and accidental injuries for the wealthy. One in three adolescents with health needs, particularly the poorest, received no care. Living with a partner and having health insurance were the main predictors of use. Greater schooling among household heads and higher SES correlated with the use of private services. CONCLUSIONS: Despite being aware of their health needs, adolescents are the group that uses health services the least in Mexico. Promoting preventative and timely treatment for this population would encourage youths to seek care more often.

Intergenerational Replication of Teenage Pregnancy and Educational Attainment in Mexico.

Mexico ranks among the OECD countries with the highest prevalence of teenage pregnancies, exhibiting a fertility rate of 70.6 births for every 1000 adolescents. Mexican adolescents with a history of pregnancy are twice as likely to lag behind in their studies as those who have not been pregnant. Research on adolescent maternity and its explanatory mechanisms is required as a basis for implementing policies and programs that effectively curb teenage pregnancy-related behaviors, prevent educational gaps, and reduce the intergenerational transmission of poverty. Based on quasi-experimental methodology and a non-recursive structural equation model with instrumental variables, this paper analyzed the intergenerational transmission of teenage pregnancy from mothers to daughters, as well as the relationship between teenage pregnancy and educational attainment. Using data from the 2009 National Survey of Demographic Dynamics in Mexico, our estimated model indicated a unidirectional relationship from teenage pregnancy to educational attainment. An association was observed between teenage pregnancy and an increased probability of a moderate or severe educational gap (≥ 1 year) by 21% ± 5 and a severe educational gap (≥ 2 years) by 33% ± 8. Adolescents whose mothers reported teenage pregnancy at < 15 years of age were approximately 84% more likely to experience teenage pregnancy themselves than other adolescents. Relevant explanatory mechanisms included low socioeconomic status and a low level of education in the household. Mexico needs to formulate, implement, and expand comprehensive and early prevention strategies as well as teenage pregnancy care throughout its most vulnerable regions. Efforts should be made at the individual, family, and community levels; incorporate alliances with teenage networks; actively engage parents, teachers, and health care providers; and reinforce educational initiatives on sexual and reproductive health for adolescents. It would be convenient for the Government to implement public policies that emphasize the results obtained. There is no better instrument than to show the evidence of the gradual deterioration of human capital in Mexico associated with adolescent pregnancy.

The Role of Effective Knowledge on Contraceptive Methods Use in the Replication of Mother-Daughter Adolescent Pregnancy in Mexico.

An important gap in the literature is the analysis of the role of effective knowledge concerning use of contraceptive methods in the intergenerational reproduction of adolescent pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries. Using data from the 2014 Mexico National Survey of Demographic Dynamics, we conducted a retrospective cohort and complete case analysis of women aged ≤ 19 years cohabitating with their mothers and who self-reported having had sexual intercourse at the moment of the survey (n = 5143). We estimated instrumental variable probit models (IV-probit) to assess the association between effective knowledge concerning the use of contraceptive methods and adolescent pregnancy. We stratified our models according to parental history of adolescent pregnancy. Adolescent pregnancy prevalence in our sample was 58.7%. The IV-probit model showed that mothers with a history of adolescent pregnancy were 12.1 percentage points more likely to have daughters who experience adolescent pregnancy. In addition, daughters with effective knowledge concerning the use of contraceptive methods were 1.3 percentage points less likely to experience an adolescent pregnancy. Our findings carry relevant implications for policies seeking to reduce adolescent pregnancy. They highlight the need for policies and programs that tackle the intergenerational transmission of sexual and reproductive behaviors by increasing the information available to adolescents and enhancing their effective knowledge about the use of contraceptive methods. Identifying population groups at higher risk of adolescent pregnancy can contribute to the design of successful reproductive health policies in Mexico and other low- and middle-income countries.

Anticoncepción posevento obstétrico y embarazo subsecuente en adolescentes: perspectivas del personal de salud en México.

OBJETIVO: Identificar cómo se implementa la estrategia de anticoncepción posevento obstétrico (APEO) y analizar las barreras, acciones y recomendaciones para prevenir embara-zos subsecuentes en adolescentes. Material y métodos. Estudio cualitativo a través de análisis de contenido de 21 en-trevistas semiestructuradas a personal de salud de instituciones de atención a población sin seguridad social de la Ciudad de México y Morelos. RESULTADOS: La APEO se promueve du-rante el embarazo, parto, posaborto, puerperio y hasta 12 me-ses después del evento obstétrico. La consejería debe abordar, además de información técnica sobre métodos anticonceptivos, otras temáticas clave en relación con los derechos sexuales y reproductivos de los adolescentes. Se identifican barreras personales, institucionales y sociales para la implementación de la estrategia; el personal refiere acciones y recomendaciones específicas para su consolidación. Conclusión. La estrategia de APEO se debe fortalecer para garantizar la oferta de un servicio acorde con las necesidades de las mujeres menores de 20 años, así como diseñar intervenciones basadas en las buenas prácticas y recomendaciones de los prestadores de salud para superar las barreras y lograr periodos intergenésicos más allá de la adolescencia.

Care friendliness in adolescent sexual and reproductive health services in Mexico and a characterisation of their clients.

BACKGROUND: Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a very important issue in public health programs in low -and middle-income countries (LMICs). Health services that meet specific and differentiated needs of adolescents are increasingly relevant in LMICs. To provide quality services, it is necessary to know the profile of its users and the perspective that adolescents have about SRH services aimed at them. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of primary data from a survey of 489 adolescents recruited in 11 primary-care facilities in the state of Morelos, Mexico. We followed the guidelines outlined in the World Health Organization Quality Assessment Guidebook: A guide to assessing health services for adolescent clients. Data on friendliness of services were obtained through 70 questions divided into 18 characteristics which, in turn, were grouped into five domains: equity, accessibility, acceptability, appropriateness, and effectiveness. The "friendliness" (a proxy for quality of care) of services was measured according to an additive index of friendliness (FI) ranging from 0 (no friendliness) to 1 (maximum friendliness). We also described the socio-demographic, SRH, and service utilization profiles of clients. RESULTS: The health services analysed were characterised as having low levels of accessibility (FI = 0.62) and effectiveness (FI = 0.77), moderate acceptability (FI = 0.84), and high levels of appropriateness (FI = 0.93) and equity (FI = 0.92). Of the total number of adolescents surveyed, 51% stated that they had initiated a sexual life, 37% did not use any method of protection during their first sexual intercourse and 64% of the adolescents had already experienced a pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: It is essential to improve the accessibility and effectiveness dimensions of adolescent-friendly services in Mexico. This requires the implementation of strategies specifically designed to promote well-informed, planned and healthy sexual behaviours that avert risk and vulnerability. Strategies need to consider the profile of the adolescent client population.

Assessing the continuum of care for maternal health in Mexico, 1994-2018.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the temporal and geographical patterns of the continuum of maternal health care in Mexico, as well as the sociodemographic characteristics that affect the likelihood of receiving this care. METHODS: We conducted a pooled cross-sectional analysis using the 1997, 2009, 2014 and 2018 waves of the National Survey of Demographic Dynamics, collating sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics of 93 745 women aged 12-54 years at last delivery. We defined eight variables along the antenatal-postnatal continuum, both independently and conditionally. We used a pooled fixed-effects multivariable logistic model to determine the likelihood of receiving the continuum of care for various properties. We also mapped the quintiles of adjusted state-level absolute change in continuum of care coverage during 1994-2018. FINDINGS: We observed large absolute increases in the proportion of women receiving timely antenatal and postnatal care (from 48.9% to 88.2% and from 39.1% to 68.7%, respectively). In our conditional analysis, we found that the proportion of women receiving adequate antenatal care doubled over this period. We showed that having social security and a higher level of education is positively associated with receiving the continuum of care. We observed the largest relative increases in continuum of care coverage in Chiapas (181.5%) and Durango (160.6%), assigned human development index categories of low and medium, respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite significant progress in coverage of the continuum of maternal health care, disparities remain. While ensuring progress towards achievement of the health-related sustainable development goal, government intervention must also target underserved populations.

Tackling maternal mortality by improving technical efficiency in the production of primary health services: longitudinal evidence from the Mexican case.

Ensuring regular and timely access to efficient and quality health services reduces the risk of maternal mortality. Specifically, improving technical efficiency (TE) can result in improved health outcomes. To date, no studies in Mexico have explored the connection of TE with either the production of maternal health services at the primary-care level or the maternal-mortality ratio (MMR) in populations without social security coverage. The present study combined data envelopment analysis (DEA), longitudinal data and selection bias correction methods with the purpose of obtaining original evidence on the impact of TE on the MMR during the period 2008-2015. The results revealed that MMR fell 0.36% (P < 0.01) for every percentage point increase in TE at the jurisdictional level or elasticity TE-MMR. This effect proved lower in highly marginalized jurisdictions and disappeared entirely in those with low- or medium-marginalization levels. Our findings also highlighted the relevance of certain social and economic aspects in the attainment of TE by jurisdictions. This clearly demonstrates the need for comprehensive, cross-cutting policies capable of modifying the structural conditions that generate vulnerability in specific population groups. In other words, achieving an effective and sustainable reduction in the MMR requires, inter alia, that the Mexican government review and update two essential elements: the criteria behind resource allocation and distribution, and the control mechanisms currently in place for executing and ensuring accountability in these two functions.

Evaluating process fidelity during the implementation of Group Antenatal Care in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: CenteringPregnancy (CP) is a group antenatal care (G-ANC) model that has proven beneficial for mothers and their newborns. We conducted a feasibility study beginning in 2016 as part of the Mexican effort to implement G-ANC locally. This study reports on fidelity to the essential elements of CP during its implementation in Mexico. METHODS: We collected prospective data using a standardized checklist at four primary-care centers that implemented our adapted G-ANC model. We performed a descriptive analysis of fidelity to 28 processes per G-ANC session (71 sessions made up of 10 groups and 129 women across 4 health centers). We calculated fidelity to each process as a proportion with 95% confidence intervals. We present overall results and stratified by health center and by facilitation team. RESULTS: Overall fidelity to the G-ANC intervention was 82%, with variability by health center (78-88%). The elements with the highest fidelity were having space for activities such as checking vital signs, conversation in a circle, and medical check-ups (100% each) and the element with the lowest fidelity was using music to enhance privacy (27.3%). Fidelity was not significantly different by center. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests good model fidelity during the implementation of G-ANC in Mexico. Our findings also contribute useful information about where to focus efforts in the future to maintain and improve G-ANC model fidelity.

[Inequalities in access to services, basis for policies to reduce the health gap]. / Desigualdades en el acceso a servicios, base de las políticas para la reducción de la brecha en salud.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate inequalities in access to health services among Mexican population living in localities of 100 000 or less inhabitants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis using the National Health and Nu- trition Survey 100k 2018 survey data. Access was estimated using health insurance and care for the last health condition. As inequality measure, we estimated the concentration index using an imputation of household per capita income. RESULTS: Among studied population, health insurance was 82.42% and access to care 60.03%. We identified inequalities in both indicators; marginal and pro-poor for insurance and pro-rich for access to care. CONCLUSIONS: In Mexico, even within the popuation living in poverty there are inequalities in access to health care. More granular public interventions are needed to address inequalities in an effective way.

OBJETIVO: Estimar la desigualdad en acceso a servicios de salud en poblaciones de localidades menores de 100 000 habitantes en México. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Análisis de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición 100k 2018. Se estimó el acceso con base en la afiliación a un esquema de aseguramiento (acceso potencial) y la atención para el más reciente problema de salud (acceso a atención) mediante el índice de concentración, utilizando una imputación del ingreso per cápita. RESULTADOS: La afiliación a algún esquema de ase- guramiento en salud fue de 82.42% y el acceso a atención de 60.03%. Se identificaron desigualdades en ambos indicadores, marginales para acceso potencial y con mayor concentración entre la población de menor ingreso; para acceso a atención se encontró desigualdad con mayor concentración entre la población de mayor ingreso. CONCLUSIONES: En México prevalecen desigualdades en acceso a servicios de salud para la población en condiciones de pobreza. Es necesario desarrollar intervenciones públicas con mayor granularidad para incidir de forma efectiva en la desigualdad.

Dissonant health transition in the states of Mexico, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.

BACKGROUND: Child and maternal health outcomes have notably improved in Mexico since 1990, whereas rising adult mortality rates defy traditional epidemiological transition models in which decreased death rates occur across all ages. These trends suggest Mexico is experiencing a more complex, dissonant health transition than historically observed. Enduring inequalities between states further emphasise the need for more detailed health assessments over time. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2013 (GBD 2013) provides the comprehensive, comparable framework through which such national and subnational analyses can occur. This study offers a state-level quantification of disease burden and risk factor attribution in Mexico for the first time. METHODS: We extracted data from GBD 2013 to assess mortality, causes of death, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and healthy life expectancy (HALE) in Mexico and its 32 states, along with eight comparator countries in the Americas. States were grouped by Marginalisation Index scores to compare subnational burden along a socioeconomic dimension. We split extracted data by state and applied GBD methods to generate estimates of burden, and attributable burden due to behavioural, metabolic, and environmental or occupational risks. We present results for 306 causes, 2337 sequelae, and 79 risk factors. FINDINGS: From 1990 to 2013, life expectancy from birth in Mexico increased by 3·4 years (95% uncertainty interval 3·1-3·8), from 72·1 years (71·8-72·3) to 75·5 years (75·3-75·7), and these gains were more pronounced in states with high marginalisation. Nationally, age-standardised death rates fell 13·3% (11·9-14·6%) since 1990, but state-level reductions for all-cause mortality varied and gaps between life expectancy and years lived in full health, as measured by HALE, widened in several states. Progress in women's life expectancy exceeded that of men, in whom negligible improvements were observed since 2000. For many states, this trend corresponded with rising YLL rates from interpersonal violence and chronic kidney disease. Nationally, age-standardised YLL rates for diarrhoeal diseases and protein-energy malnutrition markedly decreased, ranking Mexico well above comparator countries. However, amid Mexico's progress against communicable diseases, chronic kidney disease burden rapidly climbed, with age-standardised YLL and DALY rates increasing more than 130% by 2013. For women, DALY rates from breast cancer also increased since 1990, rising 12·1% (4·6-23·1%). In 2013, the leading five causes of DALYs were diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, chronic kidney disease, low back and neck pain, and depressive disorders; the latter three were not among the leading five causes in 1990, further underscoring Mexico's rapid epidemiological transition. Leading risk factors for disease burden in 1990, such as undernutrition, were replaced by high fasting plasma glucose and high body-mass index by 2013. Attributable burden due to dietary risks also increased, accounting for more than 10% of DALYs in 2013. INTERPRETATION: Mexico achieved sizeable reductions in burden due to several causes, such as diarrhoeal diseases, and risks factors, such as undernutrition and poor sanitation, which were mainly associated with maternal and child health interventions. Yet rising adult mortality rates from chronic kidney disease, diabetes, cirrhosis, and, since 2000, interpersonal violence drove deteriorating health outcomes, particularly in men. Although state inequalities from communicable diseases narrowed over time, non-communicable diseases and injury burdens varied markedly at local levels. The dissonance with which Mexico and its 32 states are experiencing epidemiological transitions might strain health-system responsiveness and performance, which stresses the importance of timely, evidence-informed health policies and programmes linked to the health needs of each state. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública.

Measuring the adequacy of antenatal health care: a national cross-sectional study in Mexico.

OBJECTIVE: To propose an antenatal care classification for measuring the continuum of health care based on the concept of adequacy: timeliness of entry into antenatal care, number of antenatal care visits and key processes of care. METHODS: In a cross-sectional, retrospective study we used data from the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT) in 2012. This contained self-reported information about antenatal care use by 6494 women during their last pregnancy ending in live birth. Antenatal care was considered to be adequate if a woman attended her first visit during the first trimester of pregnancy, made a minimum of four antenatal care visits and underwent at least seven of the eight recommended procedures during visits. We used multivariate ordinal logistic regression to identify correlates of adequate antenatal care and predicted coverage. FINDINGS: Based on a population-weighted sample of 9 052 044, 98.4% of women received antenatal care during their last pregnancy, but only 71.5% (95% confidence interval, CI: 69.7 to 73.2) received maternal health care classified as adequate. Significant geographic differences in coverage of care were identified among states. The probability of receiving adequate antenatal care was higher among women of higher socioeconomic status, with more years of schooling and with health insurance. CONCLUSION: While basic antenatal care coverage is high in Mexico, adequate care remains low. Efforts by health systems, governments and researchers to measure and improve antenatal care should adopt a more rigorous definition of care to include important elements of quality such as continuity and processes of care.

Technical efficiency of women's health prevention programs in Bucaramanga, Colombia: a four-stage analysis.

BACKGROUND: Primary Health Care (PHC) is an efficient strategy to improve health outcomes in populations. Nevertheless, studies of technical efficiency in health care have focused on hospitals, with very little on primary health care centers. The objective of the present study was to use the Data Envelopment Analysis to estimate the technical efficiency of three women's health promotion and disease prevention programs offered by primary care centers in Bucaramanga, Colombia. METHODS: Efficiency was measured using a four-stage data envelopment analysis with a series of Tobit regressions to account for the effect of quality outcomes and context variables. Input/output information was collected from the institutions' records, chart reviews and personal interviews. Information about contextual variables was obtained from databases from the primary health program in the municipality. A jackknife analysis was used to assess the robustness of the results. RESULTS: The analysis was based on data from 21 public primary health care centers. The average efficiency scores, after adjusting for quality and context, were 92.4 %, 97.5 % and 86.2 % for the antenatal care (ANC), early detection of cervical cancer (EDCC) and family planning (FP) programs, respectively. On each program, 12 of the 21 (57.1 %) health centers were found to be technically efficient; having had the best-practice frontiers. Adjusting for context variables changed the scores and reference rankings of the three programs offered by the health centers. CONCLUSION: The performance of the women's health prevention programs offered by the centers was found to be heterogeneous. Adjusting for context and health care quality variables had a significant effect on the technical efficiency scores and ranking. The results can serve as a guide to strengthen management and organizational and planning processes related to local primary care services operating within a market-based model such as the one in Colombia.

Labor and delivery service use: indigenous women's preference and the health sector response in the Chiapas Highlands of Mexico.

BACKGROUND: Mexico has undertaken important efforts to decrease maternal mortality. Health authorities have introduced intercultural innovations to address barriersfaced by indigenous women accessing professional maternal and delivery services. This study examines, from the perspective of indigenous women, the barriers andfacilitators of labor and delivery care services in a context of intercultural and allopathic innovations. METHODS: This is an exploratory study using a qualitative approach of discourse analysis with grounded theory techniques. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were undertaken with users and non-users of the labor and delivery services, as well as with traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in San Andrés Larráinzar, Chiapas in 2012. RESULTS: The interviewees identified barriers in the availability of medical personnel and restrictive hours for health services. Additionally, they referred to barriers to access (economic, geographic, linguistic and cultural) to health services, as well as invasive and offensive hospital practices enacted by health system personnel, which limited the quality of care they can provide. Traditional birth attendants participating in intercultural settings expressed the lack of autonomy and exclusion they experience by hospital personnel, as a result of not being considered part of the care team. As facilitators, users point to the importance of having their traditional birth attendants and families present during childbirth, to allow them to use their clothing during the attention, that the staff of health care is of the female sex and speaking the language of the community. As limiting condition users referred the different medical maneuvers practiced in the attention of the delivery (vaginal examination, episiotomy, administration of oxytocin, etc.). CONCLUSIONS: Evidence from the study suggests the presence of important barriers to the utilization of institutional labor and delivery services in indigenous communities, in spite of the intercultural strategies implemented. It is important to consider strengthening intercultural models of care, to sensitize personnel towards cultural needs, beliefs, practices and preferences of indigenous women, with a focus on human rights, gender equity and quality of care.

Antenatal Care Among Poor Women in Mexico in the Context of Universal Health Coverage.

OBJECTIVES: To study the influence of enrollment in the subsidized insurance program, Seguro Popular (SP), on timely (within three gestational months) and complete (at least four visits) antenatal care, in the context of expanding health coverage in Mexico. METHODS: A cross-sectional study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012 was conducted. Using quasi-experimental matching methods, we analyzed the influence of SP on timely antenatal care and a minimum of four visits for 6175 women (aged 14-49), and explored heterogeneous influences by socioeconomic status (SES) and educational level. RESULTS: Approximately 80 % of women reported timely antenatal care, with no significant difference between SP and non-SP-except among SP women from low SES households, who had an increased probability of timely antenatal care by 1.88 (p < 0.05). Enrollment in SP increased the probability of receiving at least four visits (1.65, p < 0.01) but this was not independently associated with SP enrollment when modeled together with timely antenatal care. Overall, higher SES increased the probability of antenatal care, while higher educational level increased the probability of four visits. CONCLUSIONS: To increase the impact of SP on antenatal care requires focusing on efforts to promote timely attendance as an important factor towards achieving the goal of universal health coverage of maternal and child health services in Mexico.

Essential health care among Mexican indigenous people in a universal coverage context.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the influence of indigenous condition on essential health care among Mexican children, older people and women in reproductive age. METHODS: The influence of indigenous condition on the probability of receiving medical care due to acute respiratory infection (ARI) and acute diarrheal disease (ADD), vaccination coverage; and antenatal care (ANC) was analyzed using the 2012 National Health Survey and non-experimental matching methods. RESULTS: Indigenous condition does not influence per-se vaccination coverage (in < 1 year), probability of attention of ARI's and ADD's as well as, timely, frequent, and quality ANC. Being indigenous and older adult increases 9% the probability of receiving a fulfilled vaccination schedule. CONCLUSION: Unfavorable structural conditions in which Mexican indigenous live constitutes the persistent mechanisms of their health vulnerability. Public policy should consider this level of intervention, in a way that intensive and focalized health strategies contribute to improve their health condition and life.

Gender disparities in lost productivity resulting from non-communicable diseases in Mexico, 2005-2021.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) cause long-term impacts on health and can substantially affect people's ability to work. Little is known about how such impacts vary by gender, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where productivity losses may affect economic development. This study assessed the long-term productivity loss caused by major NCDs among adult women and men (20-76 years) in Mexico because of premature death and hospitalisations, between 2005 and 2021. Methods: We conducted an economic valuation based on the Human Capital Approach. We obtained population-based data from the National Employment Survey from 2005 to 2021 to estimate the expected productivity according to age and gender using a two-part model. We utilised expected productivity based on wage rates to calculate the productivity loss, employing Mexican official mortality registries and hospital discharge microdata for the same period. To assess the variability in our estimations, we performed sensitivity analyses under two different scenarios. Results: Premature mortality by cancers, diabetes, chronic cardiovascular diseases (CVD), chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) caused a productivity loss of 102.6 billion international US dollars (Intl. USD) from 2.8 million premature deaths. Seventy-three percent of this productivity loss was observed among men. Cancers caused 38.3% of the productivity loss (mainly among women), diabetes 38.1, CVD 15.1, CRD 3.2, and CKD 5.3%. Regarding hospitalisations, the estimated productivity loss was 729.7 million Intl. USD from 54.2 million days of hospitalisation. Men faced 65.4 and women 34.6% of these costs. Cancers caused 41.3% of the productivity loss mainly by women, followed by diabetes (22.1%), CKD (20.4%), CVD (13.6%) and CRD (2.6%). Conclusions: Major NCDs impose substantial costs from lost productivity in Mexico and these tend to be higher amongst men, while for some diseases the economic burden is higher for women. This should be considered to inform policymakers to design effective gender-sensitive health and social protection interventions to tackle the burden of NCDs.

[Challenges and opportunities for the development of a national pharmaceutical policy in México]. / Retos y oportunidades para el desarrollo de la política farmacéutica nacional en México.

Unlike many other Latin American countries Mexico has no coherent and explicit national pharmaceutical policy (NPP). Other national challenges are: high out-of-pocket expenditure on medicines despite the implementation of universal health care coverage through Seguro Popular, high prices of medicines in the private sector in comparison to other countries when adjusted for income level, and the lack of clear strategies to improve safety and efficiency in the use of medicines, in particular interventions aimed at private physicians, pharmacies and consumers. The aim of this paper is to describe the challenges and opportunities to (1) consolidate the processes of formulating, implementing and evaluating NPP, and (2) define the policy content with regard to access and use of medicines.

[Sexually transmitted infections: profile of care in border areas of Central America (2007-2010)]. / Infecciones de transmisión sexual: Perfil de atención en zonas fronterizas de Centroamérica (2007-2010).

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the profile of care for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in health centers in border areas of Central America during 2007-2010. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study in a sample of 3 357 patients. Doctors were trained and medicines, condoms and HIV testing (basic package of care [BPC]) were supplied. Sample was characterized according to sociodemographic variables. Factors associated with the probability of receiving the BPC were identified. RESULTS: Sixty six percent were 25-59 years old, and 93.2% were women. The most frequently diagnosed syndrome was vaginal discharge associated with candidiasis, bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis and gonorrhea. Sixty six percent of prescriptions were adhered to the international recommendations. Only 10% received the complete BPC.The likelihood of receiving it was lower in women. CONCLUSIONS: It is not enough to increase service delivery capacity to change care practices. These are deeply rooted in the sociocultural context. Highlights gendered medical practices that adversely affect the profile of care.

[Gaps in the continuum of care during pregnancy and delivery in Mexico]. / Brechas en la cobertura de atención continua del embarazo y el parto en México.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a composite index for coverage of antenatal and delivery continuum of care, and use it to measure the gaps among different populations of pregnant women in Mexico. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based in the information of 5 766 women from the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012, a composite index of coverage of continuum of care (Cobac in spanish) was developed, integrating five interventions for antenatal, delivery, and puerperium periods. RESULTS: Women living in metropolitan areas who were affiliated to social security had the best Cobac (0.879; IC95%:0.867-0.891); the worst were found in women living in rural areas, with the lower socio-economic level (NSE-I), (0.722; IC95%: 0.700-0.745), women without health insurance (0.735; IC95%: 0.700-0.770), and indigenous women (0.759; IC95%: 0.740-0.779). CONCLUSIONS: The Cobac during pregnancy and childbirth has important differences within the country, which allows for the identification of areas where we must focus efforts to move towards universal health coverage.