International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Background: Law 1787 of 2016 established Colombia’s medical cannabis framework, intended as a public policy to improve health equity by guaranteeing access and promoting inclusive development. This scoping review analyzes this policy’s implementation as a social determinant of health, mapping the literature on the gap between its legislative promise and its real-world impact. Methods: A scoping review was conducted following PRISMA-ScR guidelines across six electronic databases, selecting peer-reviewed articles (2016–2025) that analyzed the regulatory, socioeconomic, and healthcare factors acting as structural determinants in Colombia. Results: From 122 initial records, 10 studies were included. The analysis reveals a systemic paradox: the policy’s implementation created structural barriers that undermine its equity goals. Findings highlight three gaps: (1) Inequitable Access: High costs and lack of medical knowledge create socioeconomic, rather than clinical, barriers for patients. (2) Socioeconomic Marginalization: The market model favors corporate capture, systematically excluding small-scale rural producers. (3) Policy-Driven Inequity: The regulatory framework’s complexity reinforces these inequities. Conclusions: Colombia’s medical cannabis policy implementation functions as a social determinant that produces health inequity. To align with public health objectives, policy reform must dismantle these identified structural barriers.

Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) are key tools for providing comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations for healthy eating using simple and understandable holistic diet approaches. This study aims to review national FBDGs in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), examine and compare their dietary and lifestyle recommendations, and explore the inclusion of environmental sustainability considerations. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO’s) global online FBDGs repository, Google Scholar, and ministry websites were consulted. Results showed that national FBDGs were available in 12 out of the 22 EMR countries (54.5%). The main purpose of these FBDGs was the promotion of general health by emphasizing the adoption of healthy dietary and lifestyle patterns. The various FBDGs categorized their foods into five, six, or seven different groups, the main differences being related to the inclusion of legumes and nuts as a distinct food group in some guides (instead of being in the group of meats and alternative), and to the featuring of fats and oils as a separate food group. In addition to promoting healthy and varied diets, all FBDGs in the region addressed food safety (100%), physical activity (100%), meal patterns (42%), maintenance of healthy body weight (83%), sleep (50%), and emotional well-being (17%). Aspects related to environmental protection were only considered by six national FBDGs (50%), of which only four addressed sustainability (33%). The study’s findings show that a minority of the FBDGs have undertaken revisions, which are particularly important in light of the global calls for promoting diets that are healthy for both people and the planet.

Parents can influence both the behaviours and cardiovascular health of their school-aged children and adolescents. Understanding these effects is essential for developing targeted interventions. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to report existing research findings on the associations between parental lifestyle behaviours, socioeconomic status (SES), and educational level (EDL) and offspring’s arterial stiffness (AS) and blood pressure (BP). Following PRISMA methodology, 19 observational studies were selected from the PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCO databases. Inclusion criteria focused on age range, children’s AS and BP, parental behaviours, SES, and EDL. The STROBE checklist ensured the quality and reliability of the included studies. The meta-analysis included data from three or more studies. Higher levels of maternal physical activity were associated with lower AS in offspring. Parental smoking was associated with increased AS and higher BP in offspring. The meta-analyses showed that a lower EDL was associated with higher AS in offspring, 0.22 (95% CI: 0.15, 0.29; p < 0.001). No significant associations were found between parental SES and offspring’s systolic (p = 0.40) and diastolic (p = 0.50) BP. Parental behaviours shape offspring’s cardiovascular health. Parental physical activity and higher EDL seem to be protective, while parental smoking is associated with adverse outcomes. Further research is needed to clarify these relationships.