Latin Research Articles

Impact of Nutritional Education Intervention on Food Choice Motivations and Eating Behaviors Among Latin American University Students

ABSTRACT Background Nutritional interventions can help to develop healthy eating patterns during the transition to university, which is a critical transition for all college students. Purpose This research aims to analyze eating behaviors and food choices through sustainable nutritional education interventions with college students from a multinational university in Latin-America. Methods The nutritional intervention had eight sessions emphasizing lifestyle nutrition patterns. There was an intervention group (n = 85), and a control group (n = 80). This research evaluated the eating behaviors and food choice motivators before and after the intervention. Results The nutrition education interventions showed that the group under intervention improved, changing from unhealthy to moderately healthy habits, whereas the control groups remained in unhealthy eating behaviors. Food choice motivations slightly differ from the two groups after the intervention. Discussion The control group students reflected on their lack of awareness of good eating habits so that current trends could influence their food choices in social networks associated with the pandemic, economic factors, and supply. Translation to Health Education Practice The findings from this research highlight opportunities for Certified Health Education Specialists focused on project development and evaluation.

Towards effective women’s movements against violence: the role of organizational conditions in promoting leadership capital

ABSTRACT Over recent years, increasing violence in Latin American countries has led women’s movements against violence to face challenging circumstances while advancing their goals. Attention has recently turned to the internal structures of these movements, particularly the aspect of leadership. While prior research recognizes a preference for shared leadership among women’s movements, where responsibilities are commonly distributed among many members, it also points to its potential for conflict, which can impede collaborative action. However, there is still a limited understanding of the organizational conditions of movement leadership, especially within women’s movements facing adverse contexts that require enhancing their capacities for goal attainment. This study follows the concept of leadership capital, which posits that movement leaders use their skills and knowledge to undertake decision-making that is crucial for the movement’s goals. Conceptually, it explores potential relationships between organizational conditions that might foster elements to enhance leadership capital. Employing inductive research through a cross-case study of two Mexican women’s movements against violence, the Olimpia and the Anti-femicide movements, performed between 2017 and 2021, the study focuses on two main organizational conditions: the presence of a common agenda and effective communication. By comparing these movements, which had varying degrees of success in meeting their legislative objectives, the study reveals how differences in these organizational conditions can potentially relate to promoting leadership capital. This study thus advances the social movement literature by proposing a new framework to study movement leadership.

Implementation of the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionThe WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist (WHO SCC) was developed to accelerate adoption of essential practices that prevent maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality during childbirth. This study aims to summarise...

Is There a Link between Remittances, Capital Formation, Structural Transformation and Economic Growth? A Dynamic Panel Analysis for Latin America under the PVAR Approach

Is There a Link between Remittances, Capital Formation, Structural Transformation and Economic Growth? A Dynamic Panel Analysis for Latin America under the PVAR Approach

The Nursing Inter Shift Handover: A Moment of Care for Patients and Their Family Caregivers.

Precedents: The transfer between nursing shifts must guarantee the quality of care for patients and their families in the hospital. This study aimed to transform the handover between nursing shifts to strengthen the care capacity of patients and their family caregivers, and improve the care capacity of nursing staff, in a Latin American university hospital. Methods: This is a Nursing Methodology Research developed in the following phases: (a) identification of the best handover practices between nursing shifts to apply them within the institutional culture; (2) diagnosis of the transfer between shifts in the hospital; (3) design and validation of the transformation proposal; (4) measurement of transfer indicators; and (5) definition of a path to improve this transfer. Results: The proposal developed focuses on the patient and their family caregiver. The proposed protocol considered the perspective of the care recipients, the nursing staff, and the best available evidence. The overall transfer rating over 10 months went from 65% to 84%. Conclusions: The adjustment to the transfer process made it possible to strengthen the care capacity of patients and their family caregivers and improve the care capacity of the nursing staff.

Assessing Electoral Personalism in Latin American Presidential Elections

Assessing Electoral Personalism in Latin American Presidential Elections

Understanding The Influence Of Shadow Economy And Foreign Direct Investment On Corporate Tax Revenue In Latin America: The Moderating effect Of Corruption Control

Taxation is an essential mechanism that funds government expenditures and underpins the growth and development of any country. This research examines the influence of the shadow economy and foreign direct investment (FDI) on corporate income tax revenue in Latin America, considering the moderating role of corruption control. Using panel data regression analysis, we analyze data from various Latin American countries to explore the complex interactions between these economic factors and tax revenue. Our findings indicate that corruption control has a positive and significant effect on corporate income tax revenue. However, the relationship between the shadow economy and tax revenue changes when moderated by corruption control. Without moderation, the shadow economy positively impacts tax revenue, but in the presence of higher corruption control, it leads to reduced tax revenue. Similarly, while FDI initially shows a positive impact on tax revenue, this effect turns negative when considering corruption control. These findings shed light on the nuanced relationships between economic factors and tax revenue in Latin America, offering valuable insights for policy formulation and future research.

Development Planning in Rural Communities in Bolivia: A Study in the Department of Oruro

This research aims to determine the most important elements that contribute to the development planning processes in the rural communities of the department of Oruro, Bolivia; It is based on the proposition that democracy in Latin America is in a situation characterized by advances in political rights and deficiencies in the civil and social rights of citizens, rural communities are where the most acute indicators of political, social, cultural and economic exclusion occur. Therefore, the effective membership of rural communities emerges as a peremptory task for the consolidation of their development based on community development planning. It assumes a quantitative qualitative approach, and is of a correlational descriptive type, which seeks the association and relationship of the variables that intervene and influence the community planning processes. A survey is applied to 384 people who live in communities in rural areas, among them the actors in the development of the localities are considered, such as community leaders and heads of households. For the statistical analysis, descriptive statistics and a multiple regression model are incorporated. The research establishes that community participation, ancestral knowledge, along with natural resources are the most important elements that contribute to the planning of the development of rural communities.   Received: 16 February 2024 / Accepted: 8 April 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024

Multidimensional Analysis of Adolescent Fertility in Latin America: Trends and Determinants

Adolescent pregnancy in Latin America constitutes a complex issue with significant consequences. High pregnancy rates among individuals under 20 years old impact education, personal development, and future opportunities. It is imperative to pay closer attention to sexual education, access to contraceptive methods, and reproductive health services to prevent unintended pregnancies and ensure the well-being of both adolescents and their children. The study aimed to elucidate the determinants influencing the adolescent fertility rate, thus providing an academic contribution for the formulation of public policies in Latin America. The period covered was 1990-2019, and the analyzed data were sourced from the World Population Prospects 2019 report. The main findings indicate that the adolescent pregnancy rate is alarming, attributed to the absence of effective public policies for control and prevention in response to this phenomenon.   Received: 10 February 2024 / Accepted: 27 April 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024

Transitional Justice in Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia in a Comparative Framework

This thesis aims to enhance transitional justice studies with a focus on the Balkan peninsula, by providing a comparative analysis of the extent of transitional justice mechanisms in Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. With the fall of military dictatorships in Latin America in the 1980s, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the emergence of new states in the 1990s, the concept of Transitional Justice (TJ) saw a significant rise in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This was further propelled by the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), the prolonged breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992) as well as the fall of the communist dictatorship in Albania (1990). The emergence of new states and the state-building processes that followed the political and social changes also brought new challenges and conflicts, although they marked the end of significantly repressive political regimes. Considering that the implementation of TJ has undergone several changes over time and is dependent on the different settings in which it was employed, it is necessary to conduct extensive comparative research to determine the extent to which TJ differs in post-communist and post-conflict nations. The study has developed three main hypotheses: (1) The limited achievement of lustration law in Albania has conditioned the current status of transitional justice; (2) The state-building process has contributed to the evolution of Transitional Justice in Kosovo; (3) The power-sharing process as a TJ pillar in North Macedonia has fueled TJ in the country. By utilizing a mixed methods approach, data was collected through elite interviews, conducted in the three countries with 44 representatives from academia, politics, media, and civil society. To conclude, two hypotheses are fully upheld in terms of the limited achievement of lustration law and its implications with the current status of transitional justice in Albania; and the contribution of state-building in Kosovo to the evolution of transitional justice. The third hypothesis related to the power-sharing process in North Macedonia as a fueling mechanism for the evolution of transitional justice is partially upheld.    Received: 13 February 2024 / Accepted: 30 April 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024

Financial Well-Being Scale: Evidence of Validity and Reliability in Peruvian Context

The objective of the study is to analyze the reliability and validity evidence based on the internal structure of the InCharge Finance Distress / Financial Wellbeing (IFDFW). It was administered to 545 citizens from the three regions of Peru (coast, the Andes and the rainforest). There were 296 women and 243 men, with an average age of 33.45 years (SD= 9.65). Confirmatory factor analysis provided adequate support for the 8-item one-dimensional model with the presence of correlated errors (CMIN= 58.635, DF = 17.00; CMIN/DF =3.449; CFI = 0.979; RMSEA= 0.067; SRMR= 0.032; and PClose = 0.061), also showed a good convergent internal validity based on the value of AVE = 0.554. Regarding reliability, a Cronbach's alpha = 0.881 and a CR= 0.91 are observed, which indicates adequate reliability of the one-dimensional model of the InCharge. The results suggest that the Peruvian version of the InCharge presents adequate psychometric evidence to measure the financial well-being of employees in a Peruvian context. Thus, it seeks to contribute to the advancement of the scientific study of financial well-being in Latin America.   Received: 1 September 2023 / Accepted: 16 March 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024

East German-Jewish spaces in Berlin: Jewish heritage societies (Heimatvereine) and their diasporic milieu during the 1920s and 1930s

ABSTRACT Following the First World War and the loss of German territories in Posen, West Prussia and Silesia, many German Jews from those areas left their homes and settled either in Germany or moved to the USA, Latin America or Palestine. Quite a few of them came to Berlin. There and in other German cities as well they founded so called Heimatvereine, Jewish Heritage Societies. This article analyses the spaces those societies created – concrete spaces, in which people met, but also metaphorical spaces, in which a specific East-German-Jewish diasporic milieu was created and maintained that also transcended the borders of the Weimar Republic.

‘Everything is Obstetric Violence Now’: Identifying the Violence in ‘Obstetric Violence’ to Strengthen Socio-legal Reform Efforts

Abstract Since its global uptake, ‘obstetric violence’ is increasingly used to capture any/all violations during reproductive healthcare, with few conceptual limits. Consequently, it runs the risk of becoming an overgeneralised concept, making it difficult to operationalise in socio-legal reform efforts. This article draws on the Latin American origins of the concept and aims to provide a theoretical framework to support a focused and coherent socio-legal reform agenda. It offers a universal definition of violence, being the violation of physical or psychological integrity, and localises this definition using the ‘view from everywhere’. The article proposes that violence will qualify as ‘obstetric violence’ if the violation of integrity occurs in the context of antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care. Further, the subject of the violence is the birthing woman, trans or non-binary person. Thinking in terms of a ‘continuum of violence’ in reproductive healthcare ensures that different forms of obstetric violence are recognised and helps envisage overlaps with other violences.

Can public efficiency increase tax morale? Evidence from 18 Latin American countries

Can public efficiency increase tax morale? Evidence from 18 Latin American countries

A relação entre a heterogeneidade da paisagem e os serviços ecossistêmicos em Santa María Huatulco, Oaxaca, México

[Introduction]: The variability of geographic space, in terms of the horizontal structure of landscapes, influences ecology and suggests an association between landscape heterogeneity indices (LHI) and ecosystem services (ES). This relationship is crucial for conservation and sustainable development in Latin America, given the diversity of landscapes, from tropical forests to snow-capped mountains and deserts, which harbor a unique wealth of biodiversity and ecological functions. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between LHI and ES. [Methodology]: Fourteen landscape heterogeneity indices and seven ecosystem services were calculated in Santa María Huatulco, Oaxaca, and related to the estimated ecosystem services for the same area. [Results]: The models showed a statistically significant relationship between LHI and ES, suggesting that certain LHI can influence the provision and distribution of ES. [Conclusions]: Therefore, understanding how LHI affect ES is essential to promote sustainable development in Latin America.

First report of KPC variants conferring ceftazidime-avibactam resistance in Colombia: introducing KPC-197.

Latin America and the Caribbean is an endemic region for carbapenemases. Increasingly high rates of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) have established ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) as an essential antimicrobial for the treatment of infections due to MDR Gram-negative pathogens. Although other countries in the region have reported the emergence of CZA-resistant KPC variants, this is the first description of such enzymes in Colombia. This finding warrants active surveillance, as dissemination of these variants could have devastating public health consequences.

Closing the gap between acceptable and ideal in catheterisation for paediatric and congenital heart disease-A global view.

In recent issues of the Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions, Holzer and colleagues presented an Expert Consensus Document titled: "PICS / AEPC / APPCS / CSANZ / SCAI / SOLACI: Expert consensus statement on cardiac catheterization for pediatric patients and adults with congenital heart disease." This Expert Consensus Document is a massively important contribution to the community of paediatric and congenital cardiac care. This document was developed as an Expert Consensus Document by the Pediatric and Congenital Interventional Cardiovascular Society, the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology, the Asia-Pacific Pediatric Cardiac Society, the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and the Latin American Society of Interventional Cardiology, as well as the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine.As perfectly stated in the Preamble of this Expert Consensus Document, "This expert consensus document is intended to inform practitioners, payors, hospital administrators and other parties as to the opinion of the aforementioned societies about best practices for cardiac catheterisation and transcatheter management of paediatric and adult patients with congenital heart disease, with added accommodations for resource-limited environments." And, the fact that the authorship of this Expert Consensus Document includes global representation is notable, commendable, and important.This Expert Consensus Document has the potential to fill an important gap for this patient population. National guideline documents for specific aspects of interventions in patients with paediatric heart disease, including training guidelines, do exist. However, this current Expert Consensus Document authored by Holzer and colleagues provides truly globally applicable standards on cardiac catheterisation for both paediatric patients and adults with congenital heart disease (CHD).Our current Editorial provides different regional perspectives from senior physicians dedicated to paediatric and congenital cardiac care who are practicing in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, Australia/New Zealand, and North America. Establishing worldwide standards for cardiac catheterisation laboratories for children and adults with CHD is a significant stride towards improving the quality and consistency of care. These standards should not only reflect the current state of medical knowledge but should also be adaptable to future advancements, ultimately fostering better outcomes and enhancing the lives of individuals affected by CHD worldwide.Ensuring that these standards are accessible and adaptable across different healthcare settings globally is a critical step. Given the variability in resources and infrastructure globally, the need exists for flexibility and tailoring to implement recommendations.The potential impact of the Expert Consensus Document and its recommendations is likely significant, but heterogeneity of healthcare systems will pose continuing challenges on healthcare professionals. Indeed, this heterogeneity of healthcare systems will challenge healthcare professionals to finally close the gap between acceptable and ideal in the catheterisation of patients with paediatric and/or congenital heart disease.

Before Biodiversity: Trajectories of National Parks in Latin America (1930s–1980s)

Abstract Almost a century ago, long before biodiversity expressed a scientific value for nature, Latin American countries began establishing national parks. Today, they represent over 6 percent of Latin America’s landmass. By considering national park creation across a broad regional span and six crucial decades, this article explains a mode of state formation focused on caring for nature instead of just exploiting it. It examines how national parks expanded in the region by identifying three consequent trajectories: the use of these conservation units for frontier development in Argentina and as part of a broader project seeking social justice in Mexico; the formation of more haphazard park initiatives in various countries, taking Brazil and Chile as main examples; and the development of ecologically coherent park systems through the cases of Peru and Colombia. The article also addresses the role of science (especially forestry) and international cooperation in shaping national parks. In this manner, it uncovers the paths that faded from view after the idea that parks intend to protect biodiversity took hold and illustrates a rarely acknowledged aspect of state expansion.

Implementation of a Virtual Pulmonary Physiology Course in Latin America

Implementation of a Virtual Pulmonary Physiology Course in Latin America

Re-Primarization All Over Again? Extraction and Resistance in Twenty-First-Century Latin America

This essay reviews the following works: Community of Peace: Performing Geographies of Ecological Dignity in Colombia. By Christopher Courtheyn. Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh University Press, 2022. Pp. xx + 284. $55.00 hardcover. ISBN: 9780822947141. Latin American Extractivism: Dependency, Resource Nationalism, and Resistance in Broad Perspective. Edited by Steve Ellner. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2021. Pp. ix + 292. $41.00 paperback, $94.00 hardcover, $39.00 eBook. ISBN: 9781538141564. Things with a History: Transcultural Materialism and the Literatures of Extraction in Contemporary Latin America. By Héctor Hoyos. New York: Columbia University Press, 2019. Pp. xiii + 302. $30.00 paperback, $90.00 hardcover. ISBN: 9780231193054. Planetary Longings. By Mary Louise Pratt. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2022. Pp. viii + 340. $28.95 paperback, $104.95 cloth. ISBN: 9781478018292. Life without Lead: Contamination, Crisis, and Hope in Uruguay. By Daniel Renfrew. Oakland: University of California Press, 2019. Pp. xv + 308. $29.95 paperback, $85.00 hardcover, $29.95 e-book. ISBN: 9780520295476. Mourning El Dorado: Literature and Extractivism in the Contemporary American Tropics. By Charlotte Rogers. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2019. Pp. xv + 340. $39.50 paperback, $79.50 cloth. ISBN 9780813942667. The Small Matter of Suing Chevron. By Suzana Sawyer. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2022. Pp. xv + 400. $29.95 paperback, $109.95 cloth. ISBN: 9781478017950. Breaking Ground: From Extraction Booms to Mining Bans in Latin America. By Rose J. Spalding. New York: Oxford University Press, 2023. Pp. xvii + 308. $83.00 hardcover. ISBN: 9780197643150. The Three Deaths of Cerro San Pedro: Four Centuries of Extractivism in a Small Mexican Mining Town. By Daviken Studnicki-Gizbert. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2022. Pp. xiii + 307. $34.95 paperback. ISBN: 9781469671109.