Revista panamericana de salud pública = Pan American journal of public health
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Rev. Panam. Salud Publica · Jul 2014
[The combined effects of the expansion of primary health care and conditional cash transfers on infant mortality in Brazil, 1998-2010].
I examined the combined effects of access to primary care through the Family Health Program (FHP) and conditional cash transfers from the Bolsa Familia Program (BFP) on postneonatal infant mortality (PNIM) in Brazil. ⋯ The effect of the FHP depends on the expansion of the BFP. For impoverished, underserved populations, combining supply- and demand-side interventions may be necessary to improve health outcomes.
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Rev. Panam. Salud Publica · Apr 2014
[How to reduce health inequities by targeting social determinants: the role of the health sector in Mexico].
To study lines of action implemented in Mexico by the health sector from 2007 to 2012 in order to combat health inequities by targeting social determinants. To contribute to better understanding and knowledge of how health system inequalities in the Region of the Americas can be reduced. To formulate recommendations for designing a future public policy agenda to address the social determinants associated with health inequities in Mexico. ⋯ These findings have important public policy implications for designing an agenda that promotes continued targeting of SDH and heightening its impact in terms of reducing inequities. Guaranteeing the effective exercise of social rights, without socioeconomic, employment, ethnic, or gender-based exclusion, will be key. Action to provide comprehensive, inclusive, equitable, effective, and quality coverage, supported by a preventive and remedial model of primary health care, are recommended. Strategies should be centered on primary health services, because at that level, more comprehensive care focusing on the person rather than the disease can be provided. It will also be necessary to include periodic monitoring and evaluation phases to offer the comprehensive social protection system scientific armor and guarantee its effectiveness.
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Rev. Panam. Salud Publica · Dec 2013
Synergy for health equity: integrating health promotion and social determinants of health approaches in and beyond the Americas.
Health promotion and social determinants of health approaches, when integrated, can better contribute to understanding and addressing health inequities. Yet, they have typically been pursued as two solitudes. ⋯ The value-added of integrating these two approaches is illustrated by three examples drawn from the authors' experiences in the Americas: at the community level, through a community-based coalition for reducing chronic disease disparities among minorities in an urban center in the United States; at the national level, through healthy-settings interventions in Canada; and at the Regional level, through health cooperation based on social justice values in Latin America. Challenges to integrating health promotion and social determinants of health approaches in the Americas are also discussed.
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Rev. Panam. Salud Publica · Dec 2013
Integrating social determinants of health in the universal health coverage monitoring framework.
Underpinning the global commitment to universal health coverage (UHC) is the fundamental role of health for well-being and sustainable development. UHC is proposed as an umbrella health goal in the post-2015 sustainable development agenda because it implies universal and equitable effective delivery of comprehensive health services by a strong health system, aligned with multiple sectors around the shared goal of better health. ⋯ This can be done by: (a) disaggregating UHC indicators by different measures of socioeconomic position to reflect the social gradient and the complexity of social stratification; and (b) connecting health indicators, both outcomes and coverage, with SDH and policies within and outside of the health sector. Not locating UHC in the context of action on SDH increases the risk of going down a narrow route that limits the right to health to coverage of services and financial protection.
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Rev. Panam. Salud Publica · Jun 2013
Comparative Study Clinical TrialOral rapid test: an alternative to traditional HIV screening in Chile.
To compare the sensitivity and specificity of an Oral Rapid Test (ORT) to that of the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for HIV testing in Santiago, Chile; to track the number of study participants returning for ELISA testing results; and to analyze the participants' perceptions of the ORT compared to the ELISA. ⋯ The ORT and ELISA were statistically equal in specificity and sensitivity. ORT provides quicker results, potentially ensuring that more people receive them, and does not require handling of or exposure to potentially hazardous blood products.