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.

Human resources for health and maternal mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean over the last three decades: a systemic-perspective reflections

BACKGROUND

The role of human resources for health in the operation of health systems is crucial. However, training and incorporating them into institutions is a complex process due to the continuous misalignment between the supply and demand of health personnel. Taking the case of the Latin American and Caribbean region countries, this comment discusses the relationship between the availability of human resources for health and the maternal mortality ratio for the period 1990-2021. It proposes the need to resume planning exercises from a systemic perspective that involves all areas of government and the private sector linked to the training and employment of health workers.

MAIN TEXT

We used secondary data from a global source to show patterns in the relationship between these two aspects and identify gaps in the Latin American and Caribbean regions. The results show enormous heterogeneity in the response of regional health systems to the challenge of maternal mortality in the region. Although most countries articulated specific programs to achieve the reduction committed by all countries through the Millennium Development Goals, not all had the same capacity to reduce it, and practically none met the target. In addition, in the English Caribbean countries, we found significant increases in the number of health personnel that do not explain the increases in the maternal mortality rate during the period.

CONCLUSIONS

The great lesson from the data shown is that some countries could articulate responses to the problem using available resources through effective strategies, considering the specific needs of their populations. Although variations in maternal mortality rate cannot be explained solely through the provision of health personnel, it is important to consider that it is critical to find new modalities on how human resources for health could integrate and create synergies with other resources to increase systems capacity to deliver care according to conditions in each country.

Segmentation and fragmentation of health systems and the quest for universal health coverage: conceptual clarifications from the Mexican case

Health systems are complex entities. The Mexican health system includes the private and public sectors, and subsystems that target different populations based on corporatist criteria. Lack of unity and its consequences can be better understood using two concepts, segmentation and fragmentation. These reveal mechanisms and strategies that impede progress toward universality and equity in Mexico and other low- and middle-income countries. Segmentation refers to separation of the population by position in the labour market. Fragmentation refers to institutions, and to financial aspects, health care levels, states' systems of care, and organizational models. These elements explain inequitable allocation of resources and packages of health services offered by each institution to its population. Overcoming segmentation will require a shift from employment to citizenship as the basis for eligibility for public health care. Shortcomings of fragmentation can be avoided by establishing a common package of guaranteed benefits. Mexico illustrates how these two concepts characterize a common reality in low- and middle-income countries.

A Gender-Based and Quasi-Experimental Study of the Catastrophic and Impoverishing Health-Care Expenditures in Mexican Households with Elderly Members, 2000-2020

Latin America has experienced a rise in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) which is having repercussions on the structuring of healthcare delivery and social protection for vulnerable populations. We examined catastrophic (CHE) and excessive (EHE, impoverishing and/or catastrophic) health care expenditures in Mexican households with and without elderly members (≥65 years), by gender of head of the households, during 2000-2020. We analyzed pooled cross-sectional data for 380,509 households from eleven rounds of the National Household Income and Expenditure Survey. Male- and female-headed households (MHHs and FHHs) were matched using propensity scores to control for gender bias in systematic differences regarding care-seeking (demand for healthcare) preferences. Adjusted probabilities of positive health expenditures, CHE and EHE were estimated using probit and two-stage probit models, respectively. Quintiles of EHE by state among FHHs with elderly members were also mapped. CHE and EHE were greater among FHHs than among MHHs (4.7% vs 3.9% and 5.5% vs 4.6%), and greater in FHHs with elderly members (5.8% vs 4.9% and 6.9% vs 5.8%). EHE in FHHs with elderly members varied geographically from 3.9% to 9.1%, being greater in less developed eastern, north-central and southeastern states. Compared with MHHs, FHHs face greater risks of CHE and EHE. This vulnerability is exacerbated in FHHs with elderly members, because of gender intersectional vulnerability. The present context, marked by a growing burden of NCDs and inequities amplified by COVID-19, makes key interlinkages across multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) apparent, and calls for urgent measures that strengthen social protection in health.

Understanding the social determinants of child mortality in Latin America over the last two decades: a machine learning approach

The reduction of child mortality rates remains a significant global public health challenge, particularly in regions with high levels of inequality such as Latin America. We used machine learning (ML) algorithms to explore the relationship between social determinants and child under-5 mortality rates (U5MR) in Brazil, Ecuador, and Mexico over two decades. We created a municipal-level cohort from 2000 to 2019 and trained a random forest model (RF) to estimate the relative importance of social determinants in predicting U5MR. We conducted a sensitivity analysis training two more ML models and presenting the mean square error, root mean square error, and median absolute deviation. Our findings indicate that poverty, illiteracy, and the Gini index were the most important variables for predicting U5MR according to the RF. Furthermore, non-linear relationships were found mainly for Gini index and U5MR. Our study suggests that long-term public policies to reduce U5MR in Latin America should focus on reducing poverty, illiteracy, and socioeconomic inequalities. This research provides important insights into the relationships between social determinants and child mortality rates in Latin America. The use of ML algorithms, combined with large longitudinal data, allowed us to evaluate the effects of social determinants on health more carefully than traditional models.

Equity in out-of-pocket health expenditure: Evidence from a health insurance program reform in Mexico

Background

The fragmentation of health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) deepens health inequities and shifts the economic burden of health care to families via out-of-pocket spending (OOPHE). This problem has been addressed by introducing public health insurance programs for poor people; however, there is a lack of knowledge about how equitable these programs are. We aimed to analyse the long-term effects of the Seguro Popular (SP) voluntary health insurance program, recently phased out and replaced by the Health Institute for Welfare (Instituto de Salud para el Bienestar (INSABI)), on OOPHE equity in the poor Mexican population.

Methods

We conducted a pooled cross-sectional analysis using eleven waves of the National Household Income and Expenditure Survey (2002-2020). We identified the effect of SP by selecting households without social security (with SP or without health insurance (n = 169 766)) and matched them by propensity score to reduce bias in the decision to enrol in SP. We estimated horizontal and vertical equity metrics and assessed their evolution across subpopulations.

Results

The program's entry years (2003-2010) show a positive redistributive effect associated with a focalised stage of the program, while oversaturation could have diluted these effects during 2010-2014, with adverse results in terms of vertical equity and re-ranking among insured families. SP is more horizontally inequitable than for those uninsured. Within SP, the redistributive effect could improve up to 13% if all families with similar expenditures were spending equal OOPHE and horizontal equity was eliminated. Regarding vertical equity, SP outperforms the insured population with middle-range coverage some years after the implementation, but this progress disappears.

Conclusions

To achieve universal health coverage, health authorities need to create and execute financial protection mechanisms that effectively address structural inequalities. This involves implementing a more comprehensive risk-pooling mechanism that makes social insurance sustainable in the long-run by increasing the social-economic influx of resources. It is essential to monitor oversaturation and financial sustainability to achieve optimal results. The replacement of the SP with INSABI highlights the complexity of maintaining a social insurance program where the ideology of different governments can influence the program structure, regulation, financing, and even its existence.

Proximal determinants of suboptimal early child development during the first three years of life in socially deprived Mexican contexts

Assessing the status and determinants of early child development (ECD) requires accurate and regularly updated measurements. Yet, little information has been published on the subject in low- and middle-income countries, particularly regarding the proximal determinants of childhood development in contexts of high social marginalization. This article analyzes the factors that favor or mitigate suboptimal ECD outcomes in Mexico. A cross-sectional study was conducted using recently collected data for 918 children aged 0-38 months from socially marginalized communities in 23 Mexican municipalities. The ECD outcomes of the children were estimated based on indicators of chronic undernutrition and neurodevelopment (normal, lagging and at risk of delay). The distribution of outcomes was described across the ECD proximal determinants analyzed, including the co-occurrence of chronic undernutrition and suboptimal neurodevelopment. Covariate-adjusted prevalence of the ECD outcomes and co-occurrences were calculated as post-estimations from a multiple multinomial logistic regression. The prevalence of chronic undernutrition was 23.5%; 45.9% of children were classified with neurodevelopmental lag, and 11% at risk of neurodevelopmental delay. The prevalence of stunting co-occurring with suboptimal neurodevelopment came to 15.4%. The results of the multinomial logistic regression model indicated that early gestational age, low birth weight, a low household socioeconomic level, being male and having numerous siblings were all associated with the co-occurrence of chronic undernutrition and suboptimal child neurodevelopment. This study identified important predictors of child development in the first three years of life, specifically in two of its principal indicators: nutritional and neurodevelopmental status. Most of the predictors observed can be improved by means of social programs and interventions. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04210362.

Design and validation of indicators for the comprehensive measurement of quality of care for type 2 diabetes and acute respiratory infections in ambulatory health services

Developing ambulatory health services (AHS) of optimal quality is a pending issue for many health systems at a global level, especially in middle- and low-income countries. An effective health response requires indicators to measure the quality of care that are context-specific and feasible for routine monitoring. This paper aimed to design and validate indicators for assessing the technical and interpersonal quality dimensions for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and acute respiratory infections (ARI) care in AHS. The study was conducted in two stages. First, technical and user-centered-based indicators of quality of care for T2D and ARI care were designed following international recommendations, mainly from the American Diabetes Association standards and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. We then assessed the validity, reliability, relevance, and feasibility of the proposed indicators implementing the modified Delphi technique. A panel of 17 medical experts from five countries scored the indicators using two electronic questionnaires, one for each reason for consultation selected, sent by email in two sequential rounds of rating. We defined the levels of consensus according to the overall median for each performance category, which was established as the threshold. Selected indicators included those with scores equal to or higher than the threshold. We designed 36 T2D indicators, of which 16 were validated for measuring the detection of risks and complications, glycemic control, pharmacological treatment, and patient-centered care. Out of the 22 indicators designed for ARI, we validated 10 for diagnosis, appropriate prescription of antimicrobials, and patient-centered care. The validated indicators showed consistency for the dimensions analyzed. Hence, they proved to be a potentially reliable and valuable tool for monitoring the performance of the various T2D and ARI care processes in AHS. Further research will be needed to verify the applicability of the validated indicators in routine clinical practice.

Increase of catastrophic and impoverishing health expenditures in Mexico associated to policy changes and the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

In 2003, the Mexican Congress approved a major reform to provide health care services to the poor population through the public insurance scheme Seguro Popular. This program was dismantled in 2019 as part of a set of health system reforms and substituted with the Health Institute for Welfare (INSABI). These changes were implemented during the initial phases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We aimed to examine the impact of these reforms and the COVID-19 pandemic on financial risk protection in Mexico between 2018 and 2020.

Methods

We performed a population-based analysis using cross-sectional data from the 2018 and 2020 rounds of the National Household Income and Expenditures Survey. We used a pooled fixed-effects multivariable two-stage probit model to determine the likelihood of catastrophic health expenditure (CHE), impoverishing health expenditure (IHE), and excessive health expenditure (EHE) among Mexican households. We also mapped the quintiles of changes in EHE in households without health insurance by state.

Results

The percentage of households without health insurance almost doubled from 8.8% (three million households) in 2018 to 16.5% (5.8 million households) in 2020. We also found large increases in the proportion of households incurring in CHE (18.4%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 6.1, 30.7) and EHE (18.7%; 95% CI = 7.9, 29.5). Significant increases in CHE, IHE, and EHE were only observed among households without health insurance (CHE: 90.7%; 95% CI = 31.6, 149.7, EHE: 73.5%; 95% CI = 25.3, 121.8). Virtually all Mexican states (n/N = 31/32) registered an increase in EHE among households without health insurance. This increase has a systematic territorial component affecting mostly central and southern states (range = -1.0% to 194.4%).

Conclusions

The discontinuation of the Seguro Popular Program and its substitution with INSABI during the first stages of the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the levels of health care coverage in Mexico. This reduction and the pandemic increased out-of-pocket expenditure in health and the portion of CHE and EHE in the 2018-2020 period. The effect was higher in households without health insurance and households in central and southern states of the country. Further studies are needed to determine the specific effect both of recent policy changes and of the COVID-19 pandemic on the levels of financial protection in health in Mexico.

Inequitable Financial Protection in Health for Indigenous Populations: the Mexican Case

BACKGROUND

There is an important gap in the literature concerning the level, inequality, and evolution of financial protection for indigenous (IH) and non-indigenous (NIH) households in low- and middle-income countries. This paper offers an assessment of the level, socioeconomic inequality and middle-term trends of catastrophic (CHE), impoverishing (IHE), and excessive (EHE) health expenditures in Mexican IHs and NIHs during the period 2008-2020.

METHODS

We conducted a pooled cross-sectional analysis using the last seven waves of the National Household Income and Expenditure Survey (n = 315,829 households). We assessed socioeconomic inequality in CHE, IHE, and EHE by estimating their Wagstaff concentration indices according to indigenous status. We adjusted the CHE, IHE, and EHE by estimating a maximum-likelihood two-stage probit model with robust standard errors.

RESULTS

We observed that, during the period analyzed, CHE, IHE, and EHE were concentrated in the poorest IHs. CHE decreased from 5.4% vs. 4.7% in 2008 to 3.4% vs. 2.9% in 2014 in IHs and NIHs, respectively, and converged at 2008 levels towards 2020. IHE remained unchanged from 2008 to 2014 (1.6% for IHs vs. 1.0% for NIHs) and increased by 40% in IHs and NIHs during 2016-2020. EHE plunged in 2014 (4.6% in IHs vs. 3.8% in NIHs), then rose, and remained unchanged during 2016-2020 (6.7% in IHs and 5.6% in NIHs).

CONCLUSION

In pursuit of universal health coverage, health authorities should formulate and implement effective financial protection mechanisms to address structural inequalities, especially forms of discrimination including racialization, that vulnerable social groups such as indigenous peoples have systematically faced. Doing so would contribute to closing the persistent ethnic gaps in health.

Setbacks in the quest for universal health coverage in Mexico: polarised politics, policy upheaval, and pandemic disruption

2023 marks the 20-year anniversary of the creation of Mexico's System of Social Protection for Health and the Seguro Popular, a model for the global quest to achieve universal health coverage through health system reform. We analyse the success and challenges after 2012, the consequences of reform ageing, and the unique coincidence of systemic reorganisation during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify strategies for health system disaster preparedness. We document that population health and financial protection improved as the Seguro Popular aged, despite erosion of the budget and absent needed reforms. The Seguro Popular closed in January, 2020, and Mexico embarked on a complex, extensive health system reorganisation. We posit that dismantling the Seguro Popular while trying to establish a new programme in 2020-21 made the Mexican health system more vulnerable in the worst pandemic period and shows the precariousness of evidence-based policy making to political polarisation and populism. Reforms should be designed to be flexible yet insulated from political volatility and constructed and managed to be structurally permeable and adaptable to new evidence to face changing health needs. Simultaneously, health systems should be grounded to withstand systemic shocks of politics and natural disasters.

Origin, impacts, and potential solutions to the fragmentation of the Mexican health system: a consultation with key actors

BACKGROUND

One of the central debates in health policy is related to the fragmentation of health systems. Fragmentation is perceived as a major obstacle to UHC. This article presents the results of a consultation with a group of actors of the Mexican policy arena on the origins and impacts of the fragmentation of the Mexican health system.

METHODS

We used a consultation to nine key actors to collect thoughts on the fragmentation of the Mexican health system. The group included national and local decision makers with experience in health care issues and researchers with background in health systems and/or public policies. The sessions were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically.

RESULTS

Participants defined the term 'fragmentation' as the separation of the various groups of the population based on characteristics which define their access to health care services. This is a core characteristic of health systems in Latin America (LA). In general, those affiliated to social security institutions have a higher per capita expenditure than those without social security, which translates into differential health benefits. According to the actors in this consultation, fragmentation is the main structural problem of the Mexican health system. Actors agreed that the best way to end fragmentation is through the creation of a universal health system. Defragmentation plans should include a research component to document the impacts of fragmentation, and design and test the instruments needed for the integration process.

CONCLUSIONS

First, health system fragmentation in Mexico has created problems of equity since different population groups have unequal access to public resources and different health benefits. Second, Mexico needs to move beyond the fragmentation of its health system and guarantee, through its financial integration, access to the same package of health services to all its citizens. Third, defragmentation plans should include a research component to document the impacts of fragmentation, and design and test the instruments needed for the integration process. Fourth, defragmentation of health systems is not an easy task because there are vested interests that oppose its implementation. Political strategies to meet the resistance of these groups are an essential component of any defragmentation plan.

Burden of non-communicable diseases and behavioural risk factors in Mexico: Trends and gender observational analysis

Background

There is scarce gender-disaggregated evidence on the burden of disease (BD) worldwide and this is particularly prominent in low- and middle-income countries. The objective of this study is to compare the BD caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and related risk factors by gender in Mexican adults.

Methods

We retrieved disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) estimates for diabetes, cancers and neoplasms, chronic cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), and chronic kidney disease (CKD) from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study from 1990-2019. Age-standardized death rates were calculated using official mortality microdata from 2000 to 2020. Then, we analysed national health surveys to depict tobacco and alcohol use and physical inactivity from 2000-2018. Women-to-men DALYs and mortality rates and prevalence ratios (WMR) were calculated as a measure of gender gap.

Findings

Regarding DALYs, WMR was >1 for diabetes, cancers, and CKD in 1990, indicating a higher burden in women. WMR decreased over time in all NCDs, except for CRDs, which increased to 0.78. However, WMR was <1 for all in 2019. The mortality-WMR was >1 for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in 2000 and <1 for the rest of the conditions. The WMR decreased in all cases, except for CRDs, which was <1 in 2020. The WMR for tobacco and alcohol use remained under 1. For physical inactivity, it was >1 and increasing.

Conclusions

The gender gap has changed for selected NCDs in favour of women, except for CRDs. Women face a lower BD and are less affected by tobacco and alcohol use but face a higher risk of physical inactivity. Policymakers should consider a gendered approach for designing effective policies to reduce the burden of NCDs and health inequities.

An assessment of the performance of the Mexican health system between 2000 and 2018

This paper offers a comprehensive picture of the performance of the Mexican health system during the period 2000-2018. Using high-quality and periodical data from Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, The World Bank, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, and Mexico's National Household Income and Expenditure Surveys, we assess the evolution of seven types of indicators (health expenditure, health resources, health services, quality of care, health care coverage, health conditions, and financial protection) over a period of eighteen years during three political administrations. The reform implemented in Mexico in the period 2004-2018-which includes the creation of Seguro Popular-and other initiatives helped improve the financial protection levels of the Mexican population, expressed in the declining prevalence of catastrophic and impoverishing health expenditures, and various health conditions (consumption of tobacco in adults and under-five, maternal, cervical cancer, and HIV/AIDS mortality). We conclude that policies intended to move toward universal health coverage should count on strong financial mechanisms to guarantee the consistent expansion of health care coverage and the sustainability of reform efforts. However, the mobilization of additional resources for health and the expansion of health care coverage does not guarantee by themselves major improvements in health conditions. Interventions to deal with specific health needs are also needed.

Nursing practice environment and missed care at highly specialised hospitals in Mexico: A cross-sectional observational study

BACKGROUND

The influence of the work environment on missed care and service quality has been well documented. However, available evidence concerning this relationship comes mostly from developed countries. Few studies have been conducted in low- or middle-income countries. We assessed the relationship between the work environment and missed nursing care in highly specialised hospitals in Mexico.

METHODS

We conducted an observational cross-sectional study with data collected from January 2019 to February 2020 in 11 highly specialised hospitals (n = 510 nurses). We estimated missed nursing care utilising the MISSCARE questionnaire and used the Practice Environment Scale-Nursing Work Index instrument to assess the work environment. After describing the main attributes of the study sample according to the type of work environment, we constructed five adjusted fractional regression models, the first concerning the overall index of missed care, and the others pertaining to its various dimensions.

RESULTS

The sample analysed was balanced as regards adjustment variables according to the type of work environment. The adjusted estimates confirmed an inverse relationship between the missed care index and enjoying an enhanced, or favourable, work environment. Overall, the difference was 9 percentage points (pp); however, by dimension of missed care, the major differences between enhanced and attenuated, or unfavourable, work environments were registered for basic care, followed by patient education and discharge planning (4pp) and individual needs (8pp).

CONCLUSIONS

The work environment determines the frequency of missed nursing care, both overall and by dimension. Nursing managers need to create short- and mid-term strategies favouring positive work environments in order to improve working conditions for nursing professionals.

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.

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.

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.

Predictors of maternal knowledge on early childhood development in highly marginalized communities in Mexico: Implications for public policy

INTRODUCTION

Efforts to identify the predictors of maternal knowledge on Early Child Development (ECD) have proven inconclusive thus far, particularly with respect to socially deprived contexts in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). We quantified the extent of ECD knowledge among mothers who were the primary caregivers of 0-38-month-old infants in marginalized communities in Mexico. We also explored the characteristics of the children, both individually and with regard to their households, given the influence of these factors on childhood development.

METHODS

We analyzed primary data obtained through a questionnaire administered to mothers who were the primary caregivers of 1045 girls and boys 0-38 months of age. The instrument was specifically designed for our study in order to explore the knowledge of participants about physical, neurological and psycho-affective development during childhood. We performed fractional regression analysis to assess the predictors of ECD knowledge.

RESULTS

The mean score of maternal ECD knowledge increased with their age and schooling as well as with their levels of cognitive ability and self-esteem. Irrespective of age at first birth, mean knowledge was relatively high for women with high school education and low for women with elementary or no formal education, a gradient with respect to age at fist birth was more marked among women with middle school education. ECD knowledge scores increased among mothers from households enjoying higher socioeconomic levels and from households with health insurance. Scores were lower for indigenous households regardless of their participation in social programs.

CONCLUSION

Public policies on ECD should promote programs that are not only adapted to specific contexts, but also designed to improve shared child-rearing, early childhood care and as well as psycho-emotional education skills as a pathway to healthier ECD. The participation of families and communities in sensitive childhood care should form part of multisectoral programs involving education, health and wellbeing.

Out-of-pocket expenditure on medicines in Bangladesh: An analysis of the national household income and expenditure survey 2016–17

Background and objectives

High out-of-pocket expenditures (OOPE) increases the probability that households will become impoverished or will forgo needed care. The aim of this paper is to study household medicines expenditure and its associated determining factors to develop policies to protect households from financial hardship.

Methods

The present cross-sectional and population-level study used the Bangladesh 2016–17 National Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES). The final sample size was 46,080 households. We analyzed the probability of OOPE for medicines, the share of total OOPE due to medicines out of total OOPE in health (reported as a ratio between zero and one), the OOPE amount for medicines reported (in United States Dollars), and the share of OOPE amount on medicines out of total household expenditure (reported as a ratio between zero and one). Predictors of analyzed outcomes were identified using three regression models.

Results

Out of those households who spent on healthcare, the probability of having any OOPE on medicines was 87.9%. Of those who spent on medicines, the median monthly expenditure was US$3.03. The poorest households spent 9.97% of their total household expenditure as OOPE on medicines, nearly double that of the wealthiest households (5.86%). The characteristic which showed the most significant correlation to a high OOPE on medicines was the presence of chronic diseases, especially cancer. Twenty six percent of all surveyed households spend more than 10% of their OOPE on medicines.

Conclusions

Our study shows that financial protection should be targeted at the poorest quintiles and such protection should include enrollment of rural households. Further, outpatient medicines benefits should include those for non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Overcoming the health systems' segmentation to achieve universal health coverage in Mexico

Health is a human right that everyone should be able to exercise. Yet health systems segmentation and fragmentation are a major challenge to advancing universal health coverage (UHC) and achieving health equity. Between 2019 and 2020, Mexico launched a profound restructuration of its health system claiming its aim was to attain UHC, free healthcare services and drugs and to combat corruption. We analyse the implications of the modifications of the Mexican Constitution and the dismantling of the Seguro Popular de Salud (Popular Health Insurance) in relation to segmentation. We argue that, instead of advancing towards UHC and equality, these changes reinforce inequalities and that transforming health systems must respect human rights.

Early neurological development and nutritional status in Mexican socially deprived contexts

Early childhood development (ECD) is a critical stage in the intergenerational process of human development. Targeted interventions depend on accurate and up-to-date ECD measurements. This paper presents estimates for the nutritional and neurodevelopmental status of socially marginalized children in Mexico. We performed a cross-sectional study based on data collected in 2019-2020 during home visits to 1,176 children aged 0-38 months across 24 highly marginalized locations in Oaxaca. We assessed nutritional status according to the World Health Organization 2006 child-growth standards and ECD status using the Child Development Evaluation Test, 2nd Edition. We stratified results by sex. Prevalence of stunting was 5.3 percentage points (p.p.) higher (p = 0.023) in males (25.3%; 95% CI: 20.2%, 31.1%) compared to females (20.0%; 95% CI: 15.0%, 26.1%). Overall prevalence rates stood at 5.7% (95% CI: 4.0%, 8.1%) for underweight, 1.5% (95% CI: 0.9%, 2.7%) for wasting and 3.6% (95% CI: 2.3%, 5.7%) for overweight/obesity, with no significant differences by sex. Prevalence of normal development was 8.3 p.p. lower (p = 0.001) in males (39.3%; 95% CI: 34.5%, 44.4%) compared to females (47.6%; 95% CI: 41.6%, 53.6%). By development area, the highest prevalence of suboptimal outcomes among children with developmental lag or at risk of delay was observed in their gross motor and language skills: 24.1% (95% CI: 20.0%, 28.8%) and 38.6% (95% CI: 34.0%, 43.3%), respectively. The largest difference between the sexes was found in the language area. Our results show that childhood development strategies have been insufficient thus far in the studied population. Programs specifically designed to prevent ECD lags and bridge inequality gaps are urgently needed. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04210362.

Missed nursing care in highly specialized hospitals: A Mexican case study

OBJECTIVE

To assess the status of missed nursing care and the reasons for its occurrence in a highly specialised public hospital in Mexico.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An observational cross-sectional analysis with data collected from January to June 2019 at the National Institute of Rehabilitation Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra in Mexico City. We assessed missed care and its causes by conducting the MISSCARE survey among 116 nursing professionals selected from a population of 162 nurses. This work presents the estimated rates of missed care-overall and broken down into its four dimensions-as well as the reasons for its occurrence, namely limited labour resources, inadequate material resources and communication problems among work teams.

RESULTS

The overall score for missed care was 16% (95% CI: 11.84%-20.15%), with the following rates by dimension: 19.48% for basic care, 14.66% for individual needs, 6.47% for patient education and discharge planning, and 4.31% for continuous patient assessment. The main reason cited for missed care was inadequate material resources, followed by limited labour resources and communication problems among work teams.

CONCLUSION

Basic care and individual needs interventions were the most frequently omitted services, primarily because of inadequate material resources, limited labour resources and communication problems among work teams. An increase in the frequency of missed care can be expected in light of the high demand for health services, particularly as regards labour and material resources, imposed by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

How do diverse low-income and middle-income countries implement primary healthcare team integration to support the delivery of comprehensive primary health care? A mixed-methods study protocol from India, Mexico and Uganda

INTRODUCTION

Attainment of universal health coverage is feasible via strengthened primary health systems that are comprehensive, accessible, people-centred, continuous and coordinated. Having an adequately trained, motivated and equipped primary healthcare workforce is central to the provision of comprehensive primary healthcare (CPHC). This study aims to understand PHC team integration, composition and organisation in the delivery of CPHC in India, Mexico and Uganda.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A parallel, mixed-methods study (integration of quantitative and qualitative results) will be conducted to gain an understanding of PHC teams. Methods include: (1) Policy review on PHC team composition, organisation and expected comprehensiveness of PHC services, (2) PHC facility review using the WHO Service Availability and Readiness Assessment, and (3) PHC key informant interviews. Data will be collected from 20, 10 and 10 PHCs in India, Mexico and Uganda, respectively, and analysed using descriptive methods and thematic analysis approach. Outcomes will include an in-depth understanding of the health policies for PHC as well as understanding PHC team composition, organisation and the delivery of comprehensive PHC.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Approvals have been sought from the Institutional Ethics Committee of The George Institute for Global Health, India for the Indian sites, School of Medicine Research Ethics Committee at Makerere University for the sites in Uganda and the Research, Ethics and Biosecurity Committees of the Mexican National Institute of Public Health for the sites in Mexico. Results will be shared through presentations with governments, publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at conferences.

A behavioral economics analysis of the participation in early childhood development social programs promoted by civil societies in Mexico

Based on a behavioral economics (BE) approach, we analyzed the decision to participate in an early childhood development (ECD) program implemented in Mexico by a non-governmental organization. We conducted a literature review and a qualitative study of four localities participating in the ECD program. Situated in the state of Oaxaca, these communities are characterized by high and very high levels of social marginalization. From May 20 to 30, 2019, we collected primary data through semi-structured interviews (n = 30) and focus groups (n = 7) with a total of 61 informants (51 women and 10 men). We then performed an inductive systematic analysis of the data to identify documented cognitive bias associated with the decisions of individuals to participate and remain in or abandon social programs. The interviewees were living in conditions of poverty, facing difficulties in meeting even their most basic needs including food. Program participants attached far greater weight to incentives such as the basic food basket than to the other benefits offered by the program. The four localities visited maintained traditional views of domestic roles and practices, particularly regarding child-rearing, where women were in charge of childcare, home care and food preparation. Problems linked to child malnutrition were a decisive factor in the decision of residents to participate and remain in the program. Testimonials gathered during the study demonstrated that the longer the mothers remained in the program, the more they understood and adopted the concepts promoted by the interventions. In contexts marked by economic vulnerability, it is essential that ECD programs create the necessary conditions for maximizing the benefits they offer. Our analysis suggests that cognitive load and present bias were the biases that most severely affected the decision-making capacity of beneficiaries. Therefore, considering loss aversion and improving the management of incentives can help policymakers design actions that "nudge" people into making the kinds of decisions that contribute to their well-being.

Performance of the Mexican nursing labor market: a repeated cross-sectional study, 2005-2019

BACKGROUND

The close link between human resources for health and the performance of health systems calls for a comprehensive study of the labor market. This paper proposes a performance metric for the nursing labor market, measures its magnitude and analyzes its predictors over the last 15 years.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A repeated cross-sectional analysis using data from the quarterly population-based National Survey of Occupation and Employment 2005-2019 (ENOE in Spanish). An aggregate total of 19,311 Mexican nurses (population N = 4,816,930) was analyzed. Nursing labor market performance was defined as the level of non-precarious employment of nurses in the health sector. After describing the sociodemographic, labor and contextual characteristics of the nurses surveyed, we identified the key correlates of market performance using repeated cross-sectional multiple logistic regression analysis. We then estimated the adjusted prevalence of market performance according to the survey period and socioeconomic region of residence.

RESULTS

The exogenous indicators analyzed shed light on various aspects of the market structure. Unemployment remained stable at 5% during the period examined, but underemployment rose by 26% and precarious employment, our endogenous indicator, also grew significantly. On the whole, our indicators revealed a notable deterioration in the structure of the nursing labor market; they varied by age and sex as well as between public and private institutions. Although the steepest deterioration occurred in the private sector, we observed an increase in precarious jobs among public institutions formerly protective of employment conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

The deterioration of the labor market jeopardizes the ability of nursing professionals to participate in the market as well as to obtain secure jobs once they do enter. The Mexican Health System suffers from a chronic dearth of nurses, reducing its capacity to achieve its core objectives including enhanced coverage and increased effectiveness. Nursing workforce planning requires a context where the conditions in which the market currently operates, and its potential deterioration are considered.

Assessing the effect of an educational intervention on early childhood development among Mexican preschool children in the state of Oaxaca: a study protocol of a cluster randomized stepped-wedge trial

Background

Early childhood development (ECD) is essential in human capacity building and a critical element in the intergenerational process of human development. In some countries, social programs targeted at improving ECD have proven to be successful. Oaxaca is one of the States with the greatest social inequities in Mexico. Therefore, children in Oaxaca are at a high risk of suboptimal ECD. In 2014, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Un Kilo de Ayuda started to implement the Neurological and Psycho-affective Early Childhood Development Program in eighty marginalized communities of Oaxaca. In this article, we present the impact evaluation design to estimate the effect of this program on ECD.

Methods

We will use a cluster randomized stepped-wedge design with an allocation ratio of 1:1. Communities will be randomly assigned to each study group: four groups of twenty communities each. We expect that children from intervened communities will show better ECD outcomes.

Discussion

This study is one of the few rigorous assessments of the effect of an ECD program on the neurodevelopment of Mexican children recruited in their first 3 years of life from communities of high social vulnerability. Our study design is recommended when the way in which outcomes are measured and assessed depends on age, self-selection is present, and assignment is performed at an aggregate level. Implementation research will be conducted prior to study launch and quality control measures will be in place to maximize the fidelity of study design implementation.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04210362

Hospitalisation and mortality from COVID-19 in Mexican indigenous people: a cross-sectional observational study

BACKGROUND

Despite having a large indigenous population, little is known about the differences in COVID-19-related health outcomes between indigenous and non-indigenous patients in Mexico. The aim of this study is to analyse the variation in hospitalisation and death between indigenous and non-indigenous patients with COVID-19 to guide future policies and clinical practice.

METHODS

We used data from the Mexican Ministry of Health (MoH) to study the hospitalisation and death of adults with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 in MoH facilities between 1 March 2020 and 28 February 2021. Predicted probabilities of hospitalisation and death were adjusted for sociodemographic and presentation to care characteristics as well as municipal social deprivation index and health jurisdiction-level index of human resource and hospital equipment availability.

RESULTS

Of 465 676 hospitalised adults with COVID-19, 5873 (1.3%) were identified as indigenous. Indigenous patients had higher odds of hospitalisation (adjusted OR (aOR)=1.9, 95% CI 1.8 to 2.0), death (aOR=1.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 1. 3) and early mortality (aOR=1.2, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.4), compared with non-indigenous patients. Living in municipalities with high social deprivation was associated with a higher risk of hospitalisation and early death. Living in areas with low healthcare resources was associated with a higher risk of hospitalisation but not death. Being male, aged 51 years or older, having diabetes, hypertension and obesity were associated with an incremental probability of hospitalisation and death among indigenous patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Indigenous patients with COVID-19 in Mexico have a higher risk of hospitalisation and death than non-indigenous individuals. Our findings can guide future efforts to protect this population from SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated outcomes.

Sociodemographic and work environment correlates of missed nursing care at highly specialized hospitals in Mexico: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Despite its direct relevance to quality of care, little is known about missed nursing care or its sociodemographic and work environment correlates at highly specialized hospitals in low- and middle-income countries.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the frequency of missed nursing care among Mexican nursing professionals, and to assess its associated sociodemographic and labor-related predictors.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A cross-sectional, observational study based on data collected from 315 nursing professionals in 11 highly specialized public hospitals in Mexico. We assessed missed nursing care both as a total figure and according to the four dimensions of the MISSCARE inventory. We estimated its sociodemographic and work-related predictors using fractional logistic analysis.

RESULTS

The global score for missed nursing care was 15.21%: 7.94% concerned individual needs, 9.37% discharge planning and patient education, 18.10% basic care, and 1.59% care under continuous assessment. The odds of engaging in missed nursing care increased with age and were higher among women and night-shift workers. In contrast, they decreased among nursing professionals who were satisfied with their jobs, and among those working in suitable environments.

CONCLUSIONS

Missed nursing care in highly specialized public hospitals is associated with the sociodemographic characteristics and labor-related conditions -including the work environments- of the nurses. Given its impact on both health-care users and institutions, further research on the subject is urgently needed. It is essential to improve the design, implementation and evaluation of comprehensive strategies aimed at reducing the frequency of missed nursing care and achieving universal health coverage.

Public health insurance and ethnic disparities in maternal health care: the case of vulnerable Mexican women over the last 25 years

This article examines the coverage in the continuum of antenatal-postnatal care for vulnerable women in Mexico according to indigenous status and assesses the influence of public health insurance strategies on the evolution of coverage over the last 25 years. We studied a total of 19 613 567 Mexican women, aged 12-54 years at last birth, based on a pooled cross-sectional analysis of data from the 1997, 2009, 2014 and 2018 waves of the National Survey of Demographic Dynamics. After describing sociodemographic characteristics and maternal-health coverage by indigenous status, we constructed a pooled fixed-effects and interaction multivariable regression model to assess the influence of the Seguro Popular programme on continuum of care. We estimated adjusted continuum of care coverage between 1994 and 2018 according to Seguro Popular affiliation and indigenous status. Prior to the Seguro Popular programme, crude coverage in the continuum of care for non-indigenous women stood at 14.5% [95% confidence interval (CI): 13.2-15.8%] or 11 percentage points higher than for indigenous women. During the last period of the programme, it rose to 46.5% [95% CI: 45.6-47.5%] and 34.1% [95% CI: 30.7-37.4%], respectively. Our regression analysis corroborated findings that, on average, indigenous women faced lower odds of benefiting from continuum of care [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.40-0.57] than did their non-indigenous counterparts. It also revealed that coverage for indigenous women without Seguro Popular affiliation was 26.7% [95% CI: 23.3-30.1%] or 12 percentage points lower than for those with Seguro Popular affiliation (38.6%, 95% CI: 35.7-41.4%). Our regression results confirmed that the latter benefited from higher odds of continuum of care (aOR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.36-2.26). Gaps between those of indigenous and non-indigenous status have persisted, but the Seguro Popular clearly contributed to reducing the coverage gaps between these two groups of women. Strategies yielding better outcomes are required to improve the structural conditions of indigenous populations.

Global, regional, and national progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 for neonatal and child health: all-cause and cause-specific mortality findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND

Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 has targeted elimination of preventable child mortality, reduction of neonatal death to less than 12 per 1000 livebirths, and reduction of death of children younger than 5 years to less than 25 per 1000 livebirths, for each country by 2030. To understand current rates, recent trends, and potential trajectories of child mortality for the next decade, we present the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 findings for all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality in children younger than 5 years of age, with multiple scenarios for child mortality in 2030 that include the consideration of potential effects of COVID-19, and a novel framework for quantifying optimal child survival.

METHODS

We completed all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality analyses from 204 countries and territories for detailed age groups separately, with aggregated mortality probabilities per 1000 livebirths computed for neonatal mortality rate (NMR) and under-5 mortality rate (U5MR). Scenarios for 2030 represent different potential trajectories, notably including potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact of improvements preferentially targeting neonatal survival. Optimal child survival metrics were developed by age, sex, and cause of death across all GBD location-years. The first metric is a global optimum and is based on the lowest observed mortality, and the second is a survival potential frontier that is based on stochastic frontier analysis of observed mortality and Healthcare Access and Quality Index.

FINDINGS

Global U5MR decreased from 71·2 deaths per 1000 livebirths (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 68·3-74·0) in 2000 to 37·1 (33·2-41·7) in 2019 while global NMR correspondingly declined more slowly from 28·0 deaths per 1000 live births (26·8-29·5) in 2000 to 17·9 (16·3-19·8) in 2019. In 2019, 136 (67%) of 204 countries had a U5MR at or below the SDG 3.2 threshold and 133 (65%) had an NMR at or below the SDG 3.2 threshold, and the reference scenario suggests that by 2030, 154 (75%) of all countries could meet the U5MR targets, and 139 (68%) could meet the NMR targets. Deaths of children younger than 5 years totalled 9·65 million (95% UI 9·05-10·30) in 2000 and 5·05 million (4·27-6·02) in 2019, with the neonatal fraction of these deaths increasing from 39% (3·76 million [95% UI 3·53-4·02]) in 2000 to 48% (2·42 million; 2·06-2·86) in 2019. NMR and U5MR were generally higher in males than in females, although there was no statistically significant difference at the global level. Neonatal disorders remained the leading cause of death in children younger than 5 years in 2019, followed by lower respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, congenital birth defects, and malaria. The global optimum analysis suggests NMR could be reduced to as low as 0·80 (95% UI 0·71-0·86) deaths per 1000 livebirths and U5MR to 1·44 (95% UI 1·27-1·58) deaths per 1000 livebirths, and in 2019, there were as many as 1·87 million (95% UI 1·35-2·58; 37% [95% UI 32-43]) of 5·05 million more deaths of children younger than 5 years than the survival potential frontier.

INTERPRETATION

Global child mortality declined by almost half between 2000 and 2019, but progress remains slower in neonates and 65 (32%) of 204 countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, are not on track to meet either SDG 3.2 target by 2030. Focused improvements in perinatal and newborn care, continued and expanded delivery of essential interventions such as vaccination and infection prevention, an enhanced focus on equity, continued focus on poverty reduction and education, and investment in strengthening health systems across the development spectrum have the potential to substantially improve U5MR. Given the widespread effects of COVID-19, considerable effort will be required to maintain and accelerate progress.

FUNDING

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Diabetes mellitus as a risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 test positivity in Mexico: A propensity score matched study

AIMS

We sought to investigate whether individuals with diabetes have a higher likelihood of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, as a proxy for infection risk, than individuals without diabetes.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study of publicly available data among a Mexican population, totaling 2,314,022 adults ≥ 18 years who underwent SARS-CoV-2 testing between March 1 and December 20, 2020. We used 1:1 nearest neighborhood propensity score matching by diabetes status to account for confounding among those with and without diabetes.

RESULTS

In the overall study population, 1,057,779 (45.7%) individuals tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and 270,486 (11.7%) self-reported diabetes. After propensity score matching, patient characteristics were well-balanced, with 150,487 patients in the diabetes group (mean [SD] age 55.9 [12.7] years; 51.3% women) and 150,487 patients in the no diabetes group (55.5 [13.3] years; 50.3% women). The strictest matching algorithm (1:1 nearest neighbor) showed that compared to individuals without diabetes, having diabetes was associated with 9.0% higher odds of having a positive SARS-CoV-2 test (OR 1.09 [95% CI: 1.08-1.10]).

CONCLUSIONS

Presence of diabetes was associated with higher odds of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, which could have important implications for risk mitigation efforts for people with diabetes at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Measuring and analysing social efficiency in the production of maternal health services in Mexico, 2008-15

'Social efficiency' (SE) denotes the capacity of health systems to ensure equitable access to quality health services at no financial risk to users. Mexico and other low- and middle-income countries have rarely studied the performance of their health systems from an SE perspective. We propose a metric for assessing SE in the production of maternal health services in the public sector among populations without social security, analysing contextual correlates of the demand for these services. Analysis was based on administrative data collected from the 243 health jurisdictions (HJs) in Mexico for the period 2008-15. We defined production inputs as the availability of physical and human resources and social product as the unweighted sum of social sub-products, including an equitable distribution of maternal health resources, the provision of quality maternal health care and financial protection for users. We described the SE scores, the main contextual characteristics as well as those related to the demand for maternal health services. We then performed a variance decomposition analysis of the SE score by component and estimated the SE territorial concentration patterns. Finally, we identified the structural characteristics modelling SE by means of a spatial autoregressive panel data model with fixed effects by year. The SE score rose from 57.7% in 2008 to 71.9% in 2015 (P < 0.01), with its quality component accounting for the largest proportion of variance (30%). SE peaked in HJs with low social marginalization and rurality, and with service demand characterized by low parity and older populations. Different SE levels demonstrated territorial concentration patterns. Analysing SE as a metric for health system performance offers elements that contribute to the achievement of UHC as well as to the design and implementation of effective maternal health interventions intended particularly for the most socially vulnerable sectors of the population.

Regional and state-level patterns of type 2 diabetes prevalence in Mexico over the last three decades

AIMS

We aimed to characterize and illustrate the regional and state-level change in type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevalence in Mexico between 1990 and 2017.

METHODS

We conducted an ecological and secondary analysis using data from the Global Burden of Disease study on T2D prevalence of the adult Mexican population. We estimated the absolute increase and annual growth rate of T2D prevalence between 1990 and 2017, stratified by age group and region.

RESULTS

Nationally, between 1990 and 2017, the prevalence of T2D in Mexico increased from 9.5% to 14.3%. The highest increase in T2D prevalence was observed in the East and Southcentral regions, with the lowest absolute change in T2D prevalence observed in Northern states. The highest average annual growth rate in T2D prevalence was observed in Southern Mexico, in the three Southern states with the lowest human development index, and among individuals ages 15-49 years across all regions, compared to those 50 years and older.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of T2D in Mexico has increased substantially over the past three decades, with a clear shift in T2D prevalence from Northern to Southern states and a faster increase occurring in Southern Mexico among younger adults and in areas with lower economic resources.

The Sustainable Development Goals and Technological Capacity

In order to achieve the Sustainable Development and Health Goals, it is essential to increase the technological capacity of the most disadvantaged populations. In the 21st century, the necessary technologies for this exist. The gap in technological capacity reflects the existence of a technological gradient between large- and small-scale production, due to an absence of incentives for innovation and a lack of technological dissemination in small businesses and communities. Technological change is central to development, but it is a public good that the market economy does not provide efficiently. Providing it requires the implementation of public policies aimed at technological innovation and dissemination. Reducing the technological gradient is therefore a major part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Pan American Health Organization's 2018-2030 Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas. This also applies to the development of health systems, which function as a redistribution mechanism to break poverty traps. In addition, experiences in these systems are relevant to the implementation of policies that increase technological capacities aimed at reducing poverty, improving social determinants of health, and thereby reducing the scale of the human development trap.

Predictors of nursing students' academic performance in the National Autonomous University of Mexico, 2010-2019: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND

The available literature suggests that diverse factors, including sociodemographic, academic, psychological, and occupational, can have impacts on nursing students' academic performance. Therefore, it follows that the institutional environment can mediate on these influences.

OBJECTIVE

Based on a 10-years student performance follow-up information reservoir, to analyze the relationships between student performance and a set of sociodemographic and academic characteristics of students enrolled in the programs of Bachelor of Nursing (LE), and Bachelor of Nursing and Obstetrics (LEO), in the National School of Nursing and Obstetrics (ENEO) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

METHODOLOGY

The registers (n = 3984) from the Academic Control Integral System of the ENEO-UNAM were used. The students' main sociodemographic and academic characteristics were described, and multiple-regression models were estimated in order to identify predictors of school performance.

RESULTS

Sustained increments in the enrolment of LE and LEO students during the study period. Changes were noticed regarding the sex distribution and the enrolment age. More students chose the LE program during this period. School performance was higher among female students, among students in their last semesters, and among students who had been granted a scholarship. In contrast, students who had previously failed a subject performed lower.

CONCLUSION

The identified school performance predictors suggest the need to strengthen institutional policies aimed at promoting the achievement of academic excellence so that graduate students become better prepared to enter the labor markets and address the nursing demands of society.

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.

Incremental Risk of Developing Severe COVID-19 Among Mexican Patients With Diabetes Attributed to Social and Health Care Access Disadvantages

OBJECTIVE

Diabetes is an important risk factor for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but little is known about the marginal effect of additional risk factors for severe COVID-19 among individuals with diabetes. We tested the hypothesis that sociodemographic, access to health care, and presentation to care characteristics among individuals with diabetes in Mexico confer an additional risk of hospitalization with COVID-19.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study using public data from the General Directorate of Epidemiology of the Mexican Ministry of Health. We included individuals with laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 between 1 March and 31 July 2020. The primary outcome was the predicted probability of hospitalization, inclusive of 8.5% of patients who required intensive care unit admission.

RESULTS

Among 373,963 adults with COVID-19, 16.1% (95% CI 16.0-16.3) self-reported diabetes. The predicted probability of hospitalization was 38.4% (37.6-39.2) for patients with diabetes only and 42.9% (42.2-43.7) for patients with diabetes and one or more comorbidities (obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease). High municipality-level of social deprivation and low state-level health care resources were associated with a 9.5% (6.3-12.7) and 17.5% (14.5-20.4) increased probability of hospitalization among patients with diabetes, respectively. In age-, sex-, and comorbidity-adjusted models, living in a context of high social vulnerability and low health care resources was associated with the highest predicted probability of hospitalization.

CONCLUSIONS

Social vulnerability contributes considerably to the probability of hospitalization among individuals with COVID-19 and diabetes with associated comorbidities. These findings can inform mitigation strategies for populations at the highest risk of severe COVID-19.

Prevalence of Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Among Mexican Indigenous Adolescents and Young Adults: Challenges for Healthcare

Providing evidence on mental disorders in indigenous adolescents is critical to achieving universal health coverage (UHC). The prevalence of symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety disorder symptoms were estimated for 2082 adolescents aged 14-20 years in Chiapas, Mexico. Mental disorders were assessed using the 9-item Patient-Health Questionnaire and the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale. Among the adolescents evaluated, 35.8% suffered from depression or generalized anxiety disorder. Of those, 6.1% reported a previous diagnosis. 32.1% of adolescents with both mental disorders reported having attempted suicide. Gender, substance use, adverse living experiences and living conditions were correlated to the presence of depression and/or generalized anxiety disorder. It is mandatory for Mexican health authorities to develop effective instruments aiming to screen and diagnose mental health conditions in adolescents, as well as to provide timely treatment in primary health-care units.

Los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible y las capacidades tecnológicas

Para lograr los objetivos de desarrollo y salud sostenibles, es esencial incrementar las capacidades tecnológicas de las poblaciones más desfavorecidas. Entrado el siglo XXI, existen las tecnologías necesarias para ello. El déficit en capacidades tecnológicas se debe a la existencia de un gradiente tecnológico entre la producción de gran y de pequeña escalas, debido a la falta de incentivos para la innovación y la difusión en empresas y comunidades pequeñas. En estos ámbitos el cambio tecnológico, punto medular del desarrollo, es un bien público que la economía de mercado no provee eficientemente. Su provisión requiere la aplicación de políticas públicas de innovación y difusión tecnológicas. La reducción del gradiente tecnológico constituye, pues, parte medular de la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible, de las Naciones Unidas, y la Agenda de Salud Sostenible para las Américas 2018-2030, de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud. Esto es aplicable, así mismo, al desarrollo de los sistemas de salud, que funcionan también como mecanismos de redistribución para romper las trampas de pobreza. Asimismo, las experiencias en esos sistemas tienen relevancia para aplicar políticas de incremento de capacidades tecnológicas que disminuyan la pobreza, mejoren los determinantes sociales de la salud y, con ello, reduzcan la magnitud de la trampa de desarrollo humano.

Incorporating genomic medicine into primary-level health care for chronic non-communicable diseases in Mexico: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the viability of incorporating genomic medicine technology into the process of detecting and diagnosing chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) at primary-care facilities in Mexico, and to discuss its implications for health systems in other countries with similar characteristics.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We conducted 29 semi-structured interviews with health authorities as well as providers and users of health services in the state of Morelos. We investigated knowledge of genomic technology among interviewees; the accessibility, management, and organization of health services; and CNCDs prevention, control, and care practices.

RESULTS

The incorporation of genomic medicine technology into the CNCDs primary-care process is viable. However, the following challenges were identified: a lack of knowledge and limited information among interviewees regarding the effectiveness and benefits of genomic medicine technology, coupled with the need to mobilize and reassign trained human resources for drawing, registering, safeguarding, transporting, and controlling the quality of the genetic samples, as well as for the outsourcing of private laboratory services.

CONCLUSION

Using genetic information to detect CNCDs at an early stage offers an enormous potential for upgrading CNCDs prevention and control efforts. This, in turn, could translate into more efficient and financially sustainable health systems in Mexico and other low- and middle-income countries.

Predictors of health facility readiness for diabetes service delivery in low- and middle-income countries: The case of Bangladesh

AIMS

We aimed to evaluate the readiness and predictors of diabetes service capability at the level of primary care in Bangladesh as an illustrative instance of readiness for diabetes care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

METHODS

We used data from the 2014 Bangladesh Health Facility Survey (BHFS), a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey (n = 1596 health facilities). We constructed a diabetes-specific readiness index to assess diabetes service readiness in facilities with outpatient capability and used multivariable regression analysis to evaluate contextual predictors of diabetes service readiness.

RESULTS

Three-hundred and forty-five facilities with outpatient and diabetes service capability were included. Mean readiness for diabetes service capability on a scale of 0-100 was 24.9 (95%CI: 20.8-28.9) and was lowest in rural settings, districts with high social deprivation, and public facilities, where diabetes diagnostic equipment and medications were largely unavailable. Facility type was the strongest, independent predictor of diabetes service readiness.

CONCLUSIONS

Diabetes service readiness in outpatient facilities in Bangladesh was low, particularly in public facilities, rural settings, and districts with high social deprivation. .These findings could inform policies aimed at improving diabetes care in areas of high unmet need and may serve as a model to assess diabetes service readiness in other LMICs.

Global age-sex-specific fertility, mortality, healthy life expectancy (HALE), and population estimates in 204 countries and territories, 1950-2019: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND

Accurate and up-to-date assessment of demographic metrics is crucial for understanding a wide range of social, economic, and public health issues that affect populations worldwide. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 produced updated and comprehensive demographic assessments of the key indicators of fertility, mortality, migration, and population for 204 countries and territories and selected subnational locations from 1950 to 2019.

METHODS

8078 country-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 938 surveys, 349 censuses, and 238 other sources were identified and used to estimate age-specific fertility. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate age-specific fertility rates for 5-year age groups between ages 15 and 49 years. With extensions to age groups 10-14 and 50-54 years, the total fertility rate (TFR) was then aggregated using the estimated age-specific fertility between ages 10 and 54 years. 7417 sources were used for under-5 mortality estimation and 7355 for adult mortality. ST-GPR was used to synthesise data sources after correction for known biases. Adult mortality was measured as the probability of death between ages 15 and 60 years based on vital registration, sample registration, and sibling histories, and was also estimated using ST-GPR. HIV-free life tables were then estimated using estimates of under-5 and adult mortality rates using a relational model life table system created for GBD, which closely tracks observed age-specific mortality rates from complete vital registration when available. Independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated by an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys and antenatal clinic serosurveillance and other sources were incorporated into the estimates in countries with large epidemics. Annual and single-year age estimates of net migration and population for each country and territory were generated using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model that analysed estimated age-specific fertility and mortality rates along with 1250 censuses and 747 population registry years. We classified location-years into seven categories on the basis of the natural rate of increase in population (calculated by subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate) and the net migration rate. We computed healthy life expectancy (HALE) using years lived with disability (YLDs) per capita, life tables, and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty was propagated throughout the demographic estimation process, including fertility, mortality, and population, with 1000 draw-level estimates produced for each metric.

FINDINGS

The global TFR decreased from 2·72 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 2·66-2·79) in 2000 to 2·31 (2·17-2·46) in 2019. Global annual livebirths increased from 134·5 million (131·5-137·8) in 2000 to a peak of 139·6 million (133·0-146·9) in 2016. Global livebirths then declined to 135·3 million (127·2-144·1) in 2019. Of the 204 countries and territories included in this study, in 2019, 102 had a TFR lower than 2·1, which is considered a good approximation of replacement-level fertility. All countries in sub-Saharan Africa had TFRs above replacement level in 2019 and accounted for 27·1% (95% UI 26·4-27·8) of global livebirths. Global life expectancy at birth increased from 67·2 years (95% UI 66·8-67·6) in 2000 to 73·5 years (72·8-74·3) in 2019. The total number of deaths increased from 50·7 million (49·5-51·9) in 2000 to 56·5 million (53·7-59·2) in 2019. Under-5 deaths declined from 9·6 million (9·1-10·3) in 2000 to 5·0 million (4·3-6·0) in 2019. Global population increased by 25·7%, from 6·2 billion (6·0-6·3) in 2000 to 7·7 billion (7·5-8·0) in 2019. In 2019, 34 countries had negative natural rates of increase; in 17 of these, the population declined because immigration was not sufficient to counteract the negative rate of decline. Globally, HALE increased from 58·6 years (56·1-60·8) in 2000 to 63·5 years (60·8-66·1) in 2019. HALE increased in 202 of 204 countries and territories between 2000 and 2019.

INTERPRETATION

Over the past 20 years, fertility rates have been dropping steadily and life expectancy has been increasing, with few exceptions. Much of this change follows historical patterns linking social and economic determinants, such as those captured by the GBD Socio-demographic Index, with demographic outcomes. More recently, several countries have experienced a combination of low fertility and stagnating improvement in mortality rates, pushing more populations into the late stages of the demographic transition. Tracking demographic change and the emergence of new patterns will be essential for global health monitoring.

FUNDING

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Mapping geographical inequalities in access to drinking water and sanitation facilities in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000-17

BACKGROUND

Universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities is an essential human right, recognised in the Sustainable Development Goals as crucial for preventing disease and improving human wellbeing. Comprehensive, high-resolution estimates are important to inform progress towards achieving this goal. We aimed to produce high-resolution geospatial estimates of access to drinking water and sanitation facilities.

METHODS

We used a Bayesian geostatistical model and data from 600 sources across more than 88 low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) to estimate access to drinking water and sanitation facilities on continuous continent-wide surfaces from 2000 to 2017, and aggregated results to policy-relevant administrative units. We estimated mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive subcategories of facilities for drinking water (piped water on or off premises, other improved facilities, unimproved, and surface water) and sanitation facilities (septic or sewer sanitation, other improved, unimproved, and open defecation) with use of ordinal regression. We also estimated the number of diarrhoeal deaths in children younger than 5 years attributed to unsafe facilities and estimated deaths that were averted by increased access to safe facilities in 2017, and analysed geographical inequality in access within LMICs.

FINDINGS

Across LMICs, access to both piped water and improved water overall increased between 2000 and 2017, with progress varying spatially. For piped water, the safest water facility type, access increased from 40·0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 39·4-40·7) to 50·3% (50·0-50·5), but was lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, where access to piped water was mostly concentrated in urban centres. Access to both sewer or septic sanitation and improved sanitation overall also increased across all LMICs during the study period. For sewer or septic sanitation, access was 46·3% (95% UI 46·1-46·5) in 2017, compared with 28·7% (28·5-29·0) in 2000. Although some units improved access to the safest drinking water or sanitation facilities since 2000, a large absolute number of people continued to not have access in several units with high access to such facilities (>80%) in 2017. More than 253 000 people did not have access to sewer or septic sanitation facilities in the city of Harare, Zimbabwe, despite 88·6% (95% UI 87·2-89·7) access overall. Many units were able to transition from the least safe facilities in 2000 to safe facilities by 2017; for units in which populations primarily practised open defecation in 2000, 686 (95% UI 664-711) of the 1830 (1797-1863) units transitioned to the use of improved sanitation. Geographical disparities in access to improved water across units decreased in 76·1% (95% UI 71·6-80·7) of countries from 2000 to 2017, and in 53·9% (50·6-59·6) of countries for access to improved sanitation, but remained evident subnationally in most countries in 2017.

INTERPRETATION

Our estimates, combined with geospatial trends in diarrhoeal burden, identify where efforts to increase access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities are most needed. By highlighting areas with successful approaches or in need of targeted interventions, our estimates can enable precision public health to effectively progress towards universal access to safe water and sanitation.

FUNDING

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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.

The correlates of precarious working conditions in the Mexican nursing labour market from 2005 to 2018: A repeated cross-sectional study

AIM

To analyse sociodemographic and labour correlates of labour precariousness among Mexican nurses from 2005 to 2018.

BACKGROUND

The progressive loss of labour rights has led to a situation characterized by precarious working conditions among health workers globally.

METHODS

A repeated cross-sectional and population-based study was carried out (N = 3,699,282). A generalized ordinal logistic regression model was estimated to assess correlates of precariousness. Precariousness was defined as a non-weighted score of the sum of five dichotomous variables: (a) non-written contract; (b) income lower than two times the minimum wage; (c) with a partial or an extended workday; (d) without social benefits; and (e) without social security.

RESULTS

The labour precariousness level increased during the studied period, particularly among the younger and the older, the single ones and among those located in suburban and rural areas. Nurses with lower levels of training were more exposed to precarious conditions, as well as those with jobs in private health institutions or working outside the health sector.

CONCLUSIONS

Precarious work is considered a combination of global and local labour factors, including the lack of protective labour policies in health institutions, which calls for the development of a public policy to protect jobs in the health sector.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Given that precarious work is considered a combination of global and local labour factors, including the lack of protective labour policies in health institutions, public health institutions should avoid nursing outsourcing employment as much as possible, and full-time contracts should respect the fundamental international and country-specific labour rights.

Improving the effective maternal-child health care coverage through synergies between supply and demand-side interventions: evidence from Mexico

Background

Over the last two decades, the Mexican government has released several efforts to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), based on the principles of fairness and social protection, to reduce the inequities in utilization, access, and quality of care existing in the health system. Two of the most important social public policies that have targeted the population without access to social security include the 1997 conditional cash transfers (CCT) program known as Prospera (formerly Oportunidades or Progresa) and the Seguro Popular de Salud (SPS by its Spanish initials), launched in 2003. These two programs, so far, have survived changes in the federal administrations being the most longstanding social programs targeting poor (or unprotected) populations ever in the history of modern Mexico. We tested the existence of positive synergies between demand-side (or CCT-Prospera) and supply-side (or Seguro Popular de Salud, SPS) social programs in the achievement of effective coverage (EC) of maternal-child health interventions in Mexico.

Methods

We performed a retrospective-cohort analysis to 6413 women aged 12-49 years who participated in a probabilistic survey conducted in 2012. We calculated EC as the product of three indexes: need, utilization and quality of health care. Correlates of EC were identified estimating a logistic regression model. We also presented adjusted EC by specific women groups.

Results

EC among beneficiaries of both programs was similar to estimates in Social Security affiliates (54%). For those not affiliated to any of the programs or those who received benefits for only one of them, the EC was 47.6% and 45.5% respectively. Adjusted estimates of EC suggest that overall, having both programs (Prospera + SPS) has a positive effect on maternal and child care coverage, which makes the observed differences in EC not statistically significant between those affiliated to both programs in comparison with the observed in the population with social security.

Conclusions

Results support positive synergies between Prospera and SPS in the reduction of the gaps in EC. The most vulnerable population groups need to be reached by the combination of these programs so that public health efforts translate into greater EC of maternal health services and better maternal-child outcomes.

Unintentional injuries in Mexico, 1990-2017: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

BACKGROUND

To date, the burden of injury in Mexico has not been comprehensively assessed using recent advances in population health research, including those in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (GBD 2017).

METHODS

We used GBD 2017 for burden of unintentional injury estimates, including transport injuries, for Mexico and each state in Mexico from 1990 to 2017. We examined subnational variation, age patterns, sex differences and time trends for all injury burden metrics.

RESULTS

Unintentional injury deaths in Mexico decreased from 45 363 deaths (44 662 to 46 038) in 1990 to 42 702 (41 439 to 43 745) in 2017, while age-standardised mortality rates decreased from 65.2 (64.4 to 66.1) in 1990 to 35.1 (34.1 to 36.0) per 100 000 in 2017. In terms of non-fatal outcomes, there were 3 120 211 (2 879 993 to 3 377 945) new injury cases in 1990, which increased to 5 234 214 (4 812 615 to 5 701 669) new cases of injury in 2017. We estimated 2 761 957 (2 676 267 to 2 859 777) disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to injuries in Mexico in 1990 compared with 2 376 952 (2 224 588 to 2 551 004) DALYs in 2017. We found subnational variation in health loss across Mexico's states, including concentrated burden in Tabasco, Chihuahua and Zacatecas.

CONCLUSIONS

In Mexico, from 1990 to 2017, mortality due to unintentional injuries has decreased, while non-fatal incident cases have increased. However, unintentional injuries continue to cause considerable mortality and morbidity, with patterns that vary by state, age, sex and year. Future research should focus on targeted interventions to decrease injury burden in high-risk populations.