The prevalence of chronic diseases and major disease risk factors at different ages among 150 000 men and women living in Mexico City: cross-sectional analyses of a prospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>While most of the global burden from chronic diseases, and especially vascular diseases, is now borne by low and middle-income countries, few large-scale epidemiological studies of chronic diseases in such countries have been performed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From 1998–2004, 52 584 men and 106 962 women aged ≥35 years were visited in their homes in Mexico City. Self reported diagnoses of chronic diseases and major disease risk factors were ascertained and physical measurements taken. Age- and sex-specific prevalences and means were analysed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After about age 50 years, diabetes was extremely common – for example, 23.8% of men and 26.9% of women aged 65–74 reported a diagnosis. By comparison, ischaemic heart disease was reported by 4.8% of men and 3.0% of women aged 65–74, a history of stroke by 2.8% and 2.3%, respectively, and a history of cancer by 1.3% and 2.1%. Cancer history was generally more common among women than men – the excess being largest in middle-age, due to breast and cervical cancer. At older ages, the gap narrowed because of an increasing prevalence of prostate cancer. 51% of men and 25% of women aged 35–54 smoked cigarettes, while 29% of men and 41% of women aged 35–54 were obese (i.e. BMI ≥30 kg/m²). The prevalence of treated hypertension or measured blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg increased about 50% more steeply with age among women than men, to 66% of women and 58% of men aged 65–74. Physical inactivity was highly prevalent but daily alcohol drinking was relatively uncommon.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Diabetes, obesity and tobacco smoking are highly prevalent among adults living in Mexico City. Long-term follow-up of this and other cohorts will establish the relevance of such factors to the major causes of death and disability in Mexico.</p

The U.S.-Mexico Border Infectious Disease Surveillance Project: Establishing Binational Border Surveillance

In 1997, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Mexican Secretariat of Health, and border health officials began the development of the Border Infectious Disease Surveillance (BIDS) project, a surveillance system for infectious diseases along the U.S.-Mexico border. During a 3-year period, a binational team implemented an active, sentinel surveillance system for hepatitis and febrile exanthems at 13 clinical sites. The network developed surveillance protocols, trained nine surveillance coordinators, established serologic testing at four Mexican border laboratories, and created agreements for data sharing and notification of selected diseases and outbreaks. BIDS facilitated investigations of dengue fever in Texas-Tamaulipas and measles in California–Baja California. BIDS demonstrates that a binational effort with local, state, and federal participation can create a regional surveillance system that crosses an international border. Reducing administrative, infrastructure, and political barriers to cross-border public health collaboration will enhance the effectiveness of disease prevention projects such as BIDS

FORECASTING EPIDEMIOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF RESPIRATORY DISEASES IN MEXICO CITY USING NEURAL NETWORKS

Abstract: In this paper we describe the application of a Neural Network (NNM) model (multi-layer backpropagation perceptron model) to forecast the number of respiratory deseases in Mexico City as a function of the detected events in 5 neighboring states during the weeks preceding the dates of interest. The model was derived from the data collected by the Dirección General de Epidemiología (DGE) of the Secretaría de Salud, the Mexican department in charge of detection and containment of events of epidemiological category. The accurate forecasting of such incidences allows the DGE to take the adequate previsions which may facilitate the correct supply of medicaments as well as the personnel responsible for the primary attention

Prevalencia y factores asociados a la venta de cigarros a menores de edad en el Distrito Federal

Objetivo. Conocer la prevalencia y los factores asociados a la venta de cigarros a menores en el Distrito Federal. Material y métodos. Estudio transversal realizado mediante una encuesta a expendedores de comercios que venden cigarros. Se generó un marco muestral mediante el SCINCE 2000 del INEGI, se seleccionaron probabilísticamente dos Areas Geoestadísticas Básicas (AGEB) por delegación y se realizó un censo de dichos comercios. Resultados. Se visitaron 577 comercios de los cuales 73% vendió cigarros a menores, 58% vendía cigarros sueltos; 2.6% preguntó la edad y 1.2% solicitó una identificación. De los expendedores, 51% fueron hombres, 37% cursó la secundaria, 57% había fumado, 42% tenía hijos menores y 99% sabía que está prohibido vender cigarros a menores. El análisis multivariado permitió establecer un modelo explicativo, y se encontró que cuando el expendedor es hombre o se venden cigarros sueltos se incrementa entre 2 y 5 veces la posibilidad de venta, respectivamente. Conclusiones. La venta de cigarros a menores en el Distrito Federal es independiente de las características del expendedor y del comercio