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Health and Health Equity in Latin America
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Health and Health Equity in Latin America

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 1123

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Thankam S. Sunil

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Public Health, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37916, USA
Interests: health disparities; global health; heat health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Health and health equity in Latin America face significant challenges due to the region’s deeply fragmented and segmented health systems. Despite progress in some areas, such as increased life expectancy and reduced child and maternal mortality, substantial inequities persist. These disparities are particularly pronounced among vulnerable populations, including women, indigenous peoples, and the LGBTQ+ community. Efforts towards universal health coverage (UHC) have shown promise, with countries like Brazil and Mexico making strides in expanding access to healthcare services and reducing out-of-pocket expenses. However, the region still struggles with high levels of inequality, political instability, and limited management capacities in public healthcare, which hinder the realization of equitable health outcomes. Further, we invite manuscripts looking at social and political determinants of health and their role in impacting health inequity in these countries. 

Prof. Dr. Thankam S. Sunil
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • chronic diseases
  • social determinants of health
  • behavioral determinants
  • health disparities
  • policy differentials

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 269 KiB  
Article
Predictors of High Obesity in Rural Nicaragua: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Karen Herrera, Milena Marquina de Reyes and Thankam Sunil
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(5), 660; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050660 - 22 Apr 2025
Viewed by 309
Abstract
Chronic disease prevalence continues to increase in low- and middle-income countries, and the countries in the Central American region are no exception. Recent reports have shown that women are particularly at higher risk for being obese or overweight in several countries in Central [...] Read more.
Chronic disease prevalence continues to increase in low- and middle-income countries, and the countries in the Central American region are no exception. Recent reports have shown that women are particularly at higher risk for being obese or overweight in several countries in Central America, including Nicaragua. In the present study, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a sample of respondents (n = 200) who were aged 30 years and over and living in rural communities in Nicaragua. This study’s results show that a higher percentage of the respondents reported their health as being fair or poor, and female respondents were found to have higher BMIs compared to their male counterparts (p < 0.05). While previous studies have noted that, traditionally, the body mass index (BMI) has been the most widely used measure to assess overweight prevalence in populations and to evaluate individual health risks, this study used the waist–hip ratio to measure the prevalence of obesity in adults. In recent years, the central obesity indicators, primarily waist circumference and the waist-to-hip ratio, have been recognized as more accurate at describing body fat distribution compared to the BMI. These measures have also been found to have a stronger association with morbidity and mortality. Behavioral factors, such as vegetable consumption and hours of sleep, were found to be significant predictors of obesity/overweight among rural residents in Nicaragua. This study’s results highlight the need for targeted behavioral change interventions, including promoting the regular consumption of fruits and vegetables in the diets of rural residents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health and Health Equity in Latin America)
13 pages, 1514 KiB  
Article
Rehabilitation Needs Across Heterogenous Brazilian Regions: Secondary Analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study
by Rogério Olmedija de Araújo, Tiótrefis Gomes Fernandes and Tiago Silva Jesus
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(4), 486; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22040486 - 25 Mar 2025
Viewed by 447
Abstract
Aim: This study aimed to determine the evolving rehabilitation needs in Brazil, considering five main impairment categories for nationwide health-service planning, stratified per age groups, as well as Brazilian regions with inequitable development. Methods: Secondary analysis of the Global Burden of Disease study [...] Read more.
Aim: This study aimed to determine the evolving rehabilitation needs in Brazil, considering five main impairment categories for nationwide health-service planning, stratified per age groups, as well as Brazilian regions with inequitable development. Methods: Secondary analysis of the Global Burden of Disease study (1990–2019), using Years Lived with Disability (YLD) rates for all ages and age-standardized metrics. The set of health conditions amenable to rehabilitation were selected and organized based on the five impairment types, derived from Brazil’s public-based Care Network for People with Disabilities. Results: A Brazil-wide 24% growth (1990–2019) in overall rehabilitation needs per capita (i.e., YLD rates per 100,000 population) was observed, in addition to a 6% negative growth for age-standardized YLD rates. “Physical” impairments accounted for 77% of the Brazilian rehabilitation needs in 2019; 69% of these impairments come from musculoskeletal conditions. Rehabilitation needs growth was also observed across the five Brazilian regions, ranging from 16% to 25%. Conclusions: Rehabilitation needs are growing across Brazil and its regions as a result of population ageing and epidemiological transition. Brazilian regions with lower income and lower population density (e.g., with more rural or remote populations) also experienced growth in rehabilitation needs, even though these regions are often underserved by rehabilitation professionals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health and Health Equity in Latin America)
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