Enrique Peláez

Mortalidad por causas externas en tres ciudades latinoamericanas: Córdoba (Argentina), Campinas (Brasil) y Medellín (Colombia), 1980-2005

Aim: This article has the objective of contributing to studies on mortality from violent causes in Latin America through a comparative analysis of recent patterns and trends in deaths from external causes in three regional urban contexts. Methods: A descriptive study from secondary sources is presented, using vital statistics from Cordoba (Argentina), Campinas (Brazil) and Medellin (Colombia) during three different periods between 1980 and 2005. The following subgroups of external causes are studied: homicides by firearms and other weapons, traffic accidents, and suicides and deaths with unspecified intentions. The data was disaggregated by age and sex, with rates calculated for the medians of the next three census years. Results: The levels for Medellin are significantly higher than those seen in Campinas and Cordoba for all external causes studied. Young men constitute the group with the highest mortality. The levels in Campinas are twice those seen in Cordoba, especially in homicides and traffic accidents, but the suicide rates of Cordoba are double those in Campinas. For Medellin the rates were highest around 1990, unlike the two other cities where the trend grew between 1980 and 2000 and declined between 2001 and 2005. Conclusions: The availability of quality data on mortality allows comparisons among the populations studied. When comparing mortality from external causes, considerable differences in the levels and trends can be seen, but there are fewer differences observed on the data for age and sex. These data were collected from cities with similarities, as they are all three important university centers with industrial development that has been important for their countries. The results suggest that socioeconomic and demographic factors are insufficient to explain the great differences in the data reported.

The Reproductive Transition in an Indigenous Population of Northern Argentina

Latin America has been registering a fast decrease in fertility rates since the mid-twentieth century. This change can be linked to the modernization process these populations have been undergoing. However, research with Latin American indigenous populations, which are undergoing relatively similar lifestyle changes, shows very different trends in fertility. The aim of this study was to analyze fertility patterns in the indigenous Toba community of Cacique Sombrero Negro, which is experiencing a rapid process of economic and social Westernization. Fertility patterns were analyzed between 1981 and 1999, the period for which the most accurate records were found. Results showed an overall increase in fertility rates and changes in the age of peak fertility across time periods. It is hypothesized that the lifestyle transition this population is experiencing leads to better access to resources that, in the absence of contraception, allow for a higher number of offspring. Nevertheless, this higher resource availability would be differential, affecting mostly the fertility of younger mothers.

Condiciones de vida, estado nutricional y estado de salud en adultos mayores, Córdoba, Argentina

OBJETIVO: Describir y comparar el estado nutricional y el estado de salud en dos grupos de adultos mayores de diferentes condiciones de vida, residentes en la ciudad de Cordoba, Argentina. MATERIAL Y METODOS: Estudio transversal, llevado a cabo en dos grupos: adultos mayores concurrentes a Comedores Sociales de la Provincia de Cordoba CSPC; n=308 y adultos mayores afiliados a la obra social universitaria Direccion de Asistencia Social del Personal Universitario DASPU; n=134. Se determinaron parametros antropometricos: indice de masa corporal IMC, circunferencia de cintura CC e indice cintura cadera ICC. Para la determinacion del estado de salud se utilizaron indicadores subjetivos autopercepcion de salud, autoinforme de enfermedades cronicas, obtenidos a traves de encuesta. Para la corroboracion de hipotesis se utilizo Test de X2, calculo de Odds Ratio OR, y Prueba T. RESULTADOS: En hombres, se observo mayor sobrepeso y obesidad en el grupo DASPU; mientras que en las mujeres no se encontraron mayores diferencias entre ambas instituciones, salvo un promedio menor de IMC en el grupo DASPU. En relacion a los indicadores del estado de salud, se observo en ambos sexos, una mejor percepcion de la salud en el grupo DASPU, mayor prevalencia de diabetes en hombres del grupo CSPC, hipertension en mujeres de CSPC y tumor maligno en hombres del grupo DASPU. CONCLUSIONES: Se observa que las condiciones sociales de vida influyen en el estado nutricional y de salud de los adultos mayores, en especial en hombres. Esto implica riesgos diferentes para ambos grupos.

Mortality from external causes in three Latin American cities: Córdoba (Argentina), Campinas (Brazil) and Medellín (Colombia), 1980-2005

Aim: This article has the objective of contributing to studies on mortality from violent causes in Latin America through a comparative analysis of recent patterns and trends in deaths from external causes in three regional urban contexts. Methods: A descriptive study from secondary sources is presented, using vital statistics from Cordoba (Argentina), Campinas (Brazil) and Medellin (Colombia) during three different periods between 1980 and 2005. The following subgroups of external causes are studied: homicides by firearms and other weapons, traffic accidents, and suicides and deaths with unspecified intentions. The data was disaggregated by age and sex, with rates calculated for the medians of the next three census years. Results: The levels for Medellin are significantly higher than those seen in Campinas and Cordoba for all external causes studied. Young men constitute the group with the highest mortality. The levels in Campinas are twice those seen in Cordoba, especially in homicides and traffic accidents, but the suicide rates of Cordoba are double those in Campinas. For Medellin the rates were highest around 1990, unlike the two other cities where the trend grew between 1980 and 2000 and declined between 2001 and 2005. Conclusions: The availability of quality data on mortality allows comparisons among the populations studied. When comparing mortality from external causes, considerable differences in the levels and trends can be seen, but there are fewer differences observed on the data for age and sex. These data were collected from cities with similarities, as they are all three important university centers with industrial development that has been important for their countries. The results suggest that socioeconomic and demographic factors are insufficient to explain the great differences in the data reported.

Mortalidade por causas externas em três cidades latino-americanas: Córdoba (Argentina), Campinas (Brasil) e Medellín (Colômbia), 1980-2005

Aim: This article has the objective of contributing to studies on mortality from violent causes in Latin America through a comparative analysis of recent patterns and trends in deaths from external causes in three regional urban contexts. Methods: A descriptive study from secondary sources is presented, using vital statistics from Cordoba (Argentina), Campinas (Brazil) and Medellin (Colombia) during three different periods between 1980 and 2005. The following subgroups of external causes are studied: homicides by firearms and other weapons, traffic accidents, and suicides and deaths with unspecified intentions. The data was disaggregated by age and sex, with rates calculated for the medians of the next three census years. Results: The levels for Medellin are significantly higher than those seen in Campinas and Cordoba for all external causes studied. Young men constitute the group with the highest mortality. The levels in Campinas are twice those seen in Cordoba, especially in homicides and traffic accidents, but the suicide rates of Cordoba are double those in Campinas. For Medellin the rates were highest around 1990, unlike the two other cities where the trend grew between 1980 and 2000 and declined between 2001 and 2005. Conclusions: The availability of quality data on mortality allows comparisons among the populations studied. When comparing mortality from external causes, considerable differences in the levels and trends can be seen, but there are fewer differences observed on the data for age and sex. These data were collected from cities with similarities, as they are all three important university centers with industrial development that has been important for their countries. The results suggest that socioeconomic and demographic factors are insufficient to explain the great differences in the data reported.

Retos del envejecimiento para la protección social de la vejez. Reflexiones desde Latinoamérica

espanolConocer los retos propios del envejecimiento de las poblaciones y ser capaces de recomendar politicas pertinentes, requiere contar con herramientas metodologicas adecuadas y rigurosas para describir, cuantificar y comprender el problema. Con este documento nos proponemos evaluar la rigurosidad y solidez de la evidencia con la que analizamos el impacto material de la transforma-cion de la estructura de edades, revisando criticamente el indicador de dependencia demografica y, especialmente, la relacion de dependencia economica. A continuacion, intentamos contribuir con el diseno de instrumentos idoneos para abordar empiricamente el problema de estudio. El trabajo de analisis se basa en el caso de seis paises, que son los seis paises latinoamericanos que se encuentran en la base de (Cuenta de Transferencia Nacional) NTA: Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brasil, Mexico y Costa Rica. EnglishAdequate and rigorous methodological tools to describe, quantify and understand ageing popula-tion is essential for knowing its challenges and being able to recommend relevant policies. That is why we propose to evaluate the rigor and robustness of the evidence with which we analyse the material impact of the age structure transformation, critically reviewing the indicator of demo-graphic dependence (counterpart of the support ratio) and, especially, the economic dependence ratio. Next, we try to contribute to the design of suitable instruments to empirically address the problem of study. The work of analysis is based on the case of six countries, which are the six Latin American countries already present in the base of National Transfer Account (NTA): Ar-gentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica.