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Objective. To assess the association between intersectional disadvantage and clinically significant depressive symptoms (CSDS), describing the magnitude of social inequalities in the prevalence of symptoms among adult women in Tijuana, Mexico. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study. CSDS were assessed using the Centers for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale among a probability sample of 2 345 women from 18 - 65 years of age in 2014. CSDS prevalence was calculated according to categories of three social stratifiers: socioeconomic status (SES), educational attainment, and fertility (number of children). Social inequality was measured with the slope index of inequality (SII) and the concentration index (CIx). Intersectionality among stratifiers was explored descriptively and with multivariable regression analysis. Results. CSDS prevalence was 17.7% (95%CI: 15.1% - 21.0%). The SII and CIx showed inequity in all social stratifiers. The absolute difference in CSDS prevalence between the lowest and highest ends of the SES gradient was 21.9% (95%CI: 21.5% - 22.4%). Among the most disadvantaged women, i.e., those at the intersection of lowest SES, lowest educational attainment, and highest fertility, the CSDS prevalence was 39.5% (95% CI: 26.0% -52.9%). Conclusions. Disadvantage along multiple axes was associated with CSDS. Efforts to improve the mental health of women should include equity-oriented policies that address its social determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report shares the challenges and opportunities encountered by a binational project that examined the availability of environmental and public health information for the United States-Mexico border area. The researchers interviewed numerous national and binational agencies on both sides of the border, endeavoring to develop a framework to advance the knowledge of academic and public health professionals in the area of environmental border health. However, the lack of standardized indicators and metrics in both countries validates the emergent need to establish a viable framework for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of environmental information. Recommendations for next steps are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To identify the factors linked to patients and health services in delays in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Methods. Epidemiological study in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil, 2009. The Primary Care Assessment Tool, adapted for appraising tuberculosis treatment, was the instrument used. Descriptive statistics techniques were used, such as frequency distributions, central tendency and dispersion measurements (median and interquartile intervals), and odds ratios. Results. There were greater delays in seeking health services for those in the age group 60 years and older, for females, for patients with low levels of education, and for patients with poor knowledge of the disease. Clinical variables (being a new case and HIV infection) and behavioral variables (use of tobacco and alcohol consumption) were not linked with delays in diagnosis. The median time delays before diagnosis attributable to patients and to the health services were 30 days and 10 days, respectively. Emergency 24-hour medical services and primary health care services were not effective in identifying suspicious cases of tuberculosis and requesting tests to confirm the diagnosis, with a high percentage of referrals to the Tuberculosis Control Program clinic. Conclusions. Going to primary health care services for diagnosis increased the time before diagnosis of the disease was reached. The Tuberculosis Control Program clinic was more effective in diagnosis of tuberculosis, due to the training of the staff and to an organized process for receiving patients, including the availability of tests to support the diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this article are to describe the health sector reform process in Latin American countries and its impact on the health systems of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru; analyze the structure of the national health systems of these bordering nations; and assess the constraints and potential for integrating the local health systems along the triple Amazon border. Using official documents and databases, we analyzed health system development and the structure of the services network in this segment of the border located in the heart of the Amazon region. Comparison of the three countries confirmed that Brazil's model has the characteristics of a national public health system, while the Colombian and Peruvian models emphasize insurance systems, with the adoption of compulsory health care plans, the segmentation of users, and limitations on coverage. The three countries are similar in their adoption of a public-private mix in service delivery, but they differ in the degree of access and type of State regulation. We concluded that the characteristics of the health systems in the three countries make the challenge of building a unified health system capable of guaranteeing universal access, equity in care, and comprehensive care a complex undertaking. However, despite the differences identified, we can state that the weight of the public sector in the basic care network makes it possible to foresee integration of the local health systems to provide an organized supply of programmatic health actions at the primary and secondary level of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the shaping of institutional health spaces in the Mercosur, with analysis of themes and results and considerations on the construction of the regional agenda and on the effects of regional economic integration processes on health policies and systems. We discuss the organization, operation, focus topics, and results achieved in specific health forums (Meeting of Ministers of Health and Sub-Working Group 11), seeking to analyze the architecture and issues addressed by the regional agenda and drawing parallels with the European experience. The aim of this reflection is to identify how the work done by Mercosur structures contributes to building a regional agenda, with the expectation that the integration can contribute to reducing inequalities in access to health care in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]