Browsing by Author "Diez-Canseco, Francisco"

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    Assessing cohesion and diversity in the collaboration network of the SALURBAL project
    (2023) Baquero, Sofia; Montes, Felipe; Stankov, Ivana; Sarmiento, Olga L.; Medina, Pablo; Slesinski, S. Claire; Diez-Canseco, Francisco; Kroker-Lobos, Maria F.; Teixeira, Waleska; Vives Vergara, Alejandra; Alazraqui, Marcio; Barrientos-Gutierrez, Tonatiuh; Diez Roux, Ana V.; CEDEUS (Chile)
    The SALURBAL (Urban Health in Latin America) Project is an interdisciplinary multinational network aimed at generating and disseminating actionable evidence on the drivers of health in cities of Latin America. We conducted a temporal multilayer network analysis where we measured cohesion over time using network structural properties and assessed diversity within and between different project activities according to participant attributes. Between 2017 and 2020 the SALURBAL network comprised 395 participants across 26 countries, 23 disciplines, and 181 institutions. While the cohesion of the SALURBAL network fluctuated over time, overall, an increase was observed from the first to the last time point of our analysis (clustering coefficient increased [0.83-0.91] and shortest path decreased [1.70-1.68]). SALURBAL also exhibited balanced overall diversity within project activities (0.5-0.6) by designing activities for different purposes such as capacity building, team-building, research, and dissemination. The network's growth was facilitated by the creation of new diverse collaborations across a range of activities over time, while maintaining the diversity of existing collaborations (0.69-0.75 between activity diversity depending on the attribute). The SALURBAL experience can serve as an example for multinational research projects aiming to build cohesive networks while leveraging heterogeneity in countries, disciplines, career stage, and across sectors.
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    Association between informal employment and depressive symptoms in 11 urban cities in Latin America
    (ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 2022) Huynh, Tran B.; Oddo, Vanessa M.; Trejo, Bricia; Moore, Kari; Quistberg, D. Alex; Kim, Jannie J.; Diez-Canseco, Francisco; Vives, Alejandra
    Background: Mental health is an important contributor to the global burden of disease, and depression is the most prevalent mental disorder in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Informal jobs, often characterized by precarious working conditions, low wages, and limited employment benefits, are also highly prevalent in LAC and may be associated with poorer mental health. Our study tests the association between informal employment and major depressive symptoms in LAC cities.Methods: We used individual-level data collected by the Development Bank of Latin America via their "Encuesta CAF" (ECAF) 2016, a cross-sectional household survey of 11 LAC cities (N = 5430). Depressive symptoms were measured using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale with possible total score ranging from 0 to 30. Scores were dichotomized, with a score > 16 indicating the presence of major depressive symptoms. Informal employment was defined based on self-reported lack of contribution to the social security system. We used generalized estimating equation (GEE) log-binomial models to estimate the association between informal employment and depressive symptoms overall and by gender. Models were adjusted for age, education, and household characteristics.Results: Overall, individuals employed in informal jobs had a 27% higher prevalence of major depressive symptoms (Prevalence Ratio [PR]: 1.27; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.00, 1.62) compared to those in formal jobs. The prevalence of depressive symptoms among individuals with informal jobs was higher compared to those with formal jobs in both women (PR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.74) and men (PR: 1.22; 95% CI: 0.90, 1.65).Conclusions: Informal employment in LAC was associated with a higher prevalence of major depressive symptoms. It is important to develop policies aiming at reducing informal jobs and increasing universal social protection for informal workers.
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    Association between maternity leave policies and postpartum depression: a systematic review
    (Springer, 2023) Hidalgo-Padilla, Liliana; Toyama, Mauricio; Hanae, Jessica; Tanaka, Zafra; Vives Vergara, Alejandra; Diez-Canseco, Francisco; CEDEUS (Chile)
    Purpose: Working mothers are at greater risk for postpartum depression. Maternity leave characteristics, including length, wage replacement and employment protection, could have relevant implications for mothers’ mental health. We propose to explore whether there is an association between maternity leave characteristics and postpartum depression. Methods: We conducted a systematic review searching for randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental, cohort or cross-sectional studies on five databases using search terms including maternity and parental leave and depression, as well as references in relevant articles. We identified 500 articles and included 23 of those. We used the EPHPP Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies to assess the quality of the studies. Results: Paid and longer maternity leaves tend to be associated with a reduction of postpartum depression symptoms in high-income countries. No studies explored the association between employment protection and postpartum depression. The quality of studies ranged from strong to weak, mostly influenced by study design. Conclusion: More restrictive maternity leave policies tend to be associated with higher rates of postpartum depression, although more research needs to be conducted in the Global South.
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    Gender inequality, women's empowerment, and adolescent birth rates in 363 Latin American cities
    (2023) Braverman-Bronstein, Ariela; Ortigoza, Ana F.; Vidaña-Pérez, Dèsirée; Barrientos-Gutiérrez, Tonatiuh; Baldovino-Chiquillo, Laura; Bilal, Usama; Friche, Amélia Augusta de Lima; Diez-Canseco, Francisco; Maslowsky, Julie; Vives Vergara, Alejandra; Diez Roux, Ana V.; CEDEUS (Chile)
    Background: Gender inequality is high in Latin America (LA). Empowering girls and young women and reducing gender gaps has been proposed as a pathway to reduce adolescent pregnancy. We investigated the associations of urban measures of women's empowerment and gender inequality with adolescent birth rates (ABR) in 366 Latin American cities in nine countries. Methods: We created a gender inequality index (GII) and three Women Achievement scores reflecting domains of women's empowerment (employment, education, and health care access) using censuses, surveys, and political participation data at city and sub-city levels. We used 3-level negative binomial models (sub-city-city-countries) to assess the association between the GII and scores, with ABR while accounting for other city and sub-city characteristics. Results: We found within country heterogeneity in gender inequality and women's empowerment measures. The ABR was 4% higher for each 1 standard deviation (1-SD) higher GII (RR 1.04; 95%CI 1.01,1.06), 8% lower for each SD higher autonomy score (RR 0.92; 95%CI 0.86, 0.99), and 12% lower for each SD health care access score (RR 0.88; 95%CI 0.82,0.95) after adjustment for city level population size, population growth, homicide rates, and sub-city population educational attainment and living conditions scores. Conclusion: Our findings show the key role cities have in reducing ABR through the implementation of strategies that foster women's socioeconomic progress such as education, employment, and health care access.
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    Research Translation to Promote Urban Health in Latin America: The SALURBAL Experience
    (Springer, 2024) Slesinski, S. Claire; Indvik, Katherine; Bolinaga, Andrea; Roux, Ana V. Diez; Barrientos-Gutiérrez, Tonatiuh; Caiaffa, Waleska Teixeira; Diez-Canseco, Francisco; Miranda, J. Jaime; Rodríguez, Daniel A.; Sarmiento, Olga L.; Siri, José G.; Vives Vergara, Alejandra; CEDEUS (Chile)
    In highly urbanized and unequal Latin America, urban health and health equity research are essential to effective policymaking. To ensure the application of relevant and context-specific evidence to efforts to reduce urban health inequities, urban health research in Latin America must incorporate strategic research translation efforts. Beginning in 2017, the Urban Health in Latin America (SALURBAL) project implemented policy-relevant research and engaged policymakers and the public to support the translation of research findings. Over 6 years, more than 200 researchers across eight countries contributed to SALURBAL's interdisciplinary network. This network allowed SALURBAL to adapt research and engagement activities to local contexts and priorities, thereby maximizing the policy relevance of research findings and their application to promote policy action, inform urban interventions, and drive societal change. SALURBAL achieved significant visibility and credibility among academic and nonacademic urban health stakeholders, resulting in the development of evidence and tools to support urban policymakers, planners, and policy development processes across the region. These efforts and their outcomes reveal important lessons regarding maintaining flexibility and accounting for local context in research, ensuring that resources are dedicated to policy engagement and dissemination activities, and recognizing that assessing policy impact requires a nuanced understanding of complex policymaking processes. These reflections are relevant for promoting urban health and health equity research translation across the global south and worldwide. This paper presents SALURBAL's strategy for dissemination and policy translation, highlights innovative initiatives and their outcomes, discusses lessons learned, and shares recommendations for future efforts to promote effective translation of research findings.