Urban Areas Of Peru Research Articles

Understanding the evolution of cities through urban stocks: A comparative analysis of Andean and coastal urban areas in Peru

AbstractThe evolution of cities follows distinct patterns that connect to the cultural and socioeconomic aspects of their populations and can be understood by studying their urban stocks. This paper examines the evolution of construction materials stocks (MS) in the building sector in five urban areas in Peru. The study employed a bottom‐up methodology and focused on the city of Abancay in the Peruvian Andes, comparing it to the coastal cities of Chiclayo, Tacna, and San Isidro, as well as Lince. Additionally, regression models were employed to examine the influence of socioeconomic factors associated with urban stock. The research highlights a transition from residential building stock to distinct patterns of socioeconomic development, with urban population and economic growth emerging as pivotal drivers of material stock variation. Notably, large coastal cities like Chiclayo, Tacna, San Isidro, and Lince exhibit significantly higher concrete MS per capita, albeit with varying growth rates. In contrast, Abancay, with lower income levels, displays a higher per capita level of adobe MS, reflecting its historical connection to Peru's heartland. The correlation of urban stock components with the human development index (HDI) emphasizes the latter's significance in understanding the trends of the stocks of the different construction materials that constitute a city. By examining MS in various locations, unique Peruvian traits are unveiled, offering insights for urban development in the Global South. These findings provide valuable guidance for aligning urban stock growth and related environmental burdens with socioeconomic development, fostering sustainability, and promoting rational planning for economic growth.

Measuring Violence against Women with Experimental Methods

Intimate partner violence prevalence is a central indicator of the Sustainable Development Goals for women’s agency. However, measuring its progress largely relies on self-reports that could suffer from misreporting. Focusing on a sample in impoverished urban areas in Peru, we replicate direct measures from the widely used Demographic and Health Surveys and compare them against list experiments, a method providing greater privacy to women. We find no significant differences across direct and indirect methods in terms of the report of physical and sexual violence. This result largely persists when testing across 16 different subgroups and accounting for multiple-hypothesis testing.

Spatiotemporal Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the Sewage of Three Major Urban Areas in Peru: Generating Valuable Data Where Clinical Testing Is Extremely Limited.

Peru has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. By January 2022, Peru had surpassed 200 000 COVID-19 deaths, constituting the highest death rate per capita worldwide. Peru has had several limitations during the pandemic: insufficient testing access, limited contact tracing, a strained medical infrastructure, and many economic hurdles. These limitations hindered the gathering of accurate information about infected individuals with spatial resolution in real time, a critical aspect of effectively controlling the pandemic. Wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 RNA offered a promising alternative for providing needed population-wide information to complement health care indicators. In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility and value of implementing a decentralized SARS-CoV-2 RNA wastewater monitoring system to assess the spatiotemporal distribution of COVID-19 in three major cities in Peru: Lima, Callao, and Arequipa. Our data on viral loads showed the same trends as health indicators such as incidence and mortality. Furthermore, we were able to identify hot spots of contagion within the surveyed urban areas to guide the efforts of health authorities. Viral decay in the sewage network of the cities studied was found to be negligible (<2%). Overall, our results support wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 as a valuable and cost-effective tool for monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic in the Peruvian context.

Prevalence of parkinsonism and Parkinson disease in urban and rural populations from Latin America: A community based study

SummaryBackgroundAge and gender specific prevalence rates for parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease (PD) are important to guide research, clinical practice, and public health planning; however, prevalence estimates in Latin America (LatAm) are limited. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of parkinsonism and PD and examine related risk factors in a cohort of elderly individuals from Latin America (LatAm).MethodsData from 11,613 adults (65+ years) who participated in a baseline assessment of the 10/66 study and lived in six LatAm countries were analyzed to estimate parkinsonism and PD prevalence. Crude and age-adjusted prevalence were determined by sex and country. Diagnosis of PD was established using the UK Parkinson's Disease Society Brain Bank's clinical criteria.FindingsIn this cohort, the prevalence of parkinsonism was 8.0% (95% CI 7.6%–8.5%), and the prevalence of PD was 2.0% (95% CI 1.7%–2.3%). PD prevalence increased with age from 1.0 to 3.5 (65–69vs. 80 years or older, p < 0.001). Age-adjusted prevalence rates were lower for women than for men. No significant differences were found across countries, except for lower prevalence in urban areas of Peru. PD was positively associated with depression (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 2.06, 95% CI 1.40–3.01, I2 = 56.0%), dementia (aPR 1.57, 95% CI 1.07- 2.32, I2 = 0.0%) and educational level (aPR 1.14, 95% CI 1.01– 1.29, I2 = 58.6%).InterpretationThe reported prevalence of PD in LatAm is similar to reports from high-income countries (HIC). A significant proportion of cases with PD did not have a previous diagnosis, nor did they seek any medical or neurological attention. These findings underscore the need to improve public health programs for populations currently undergoing rapid demographic aging and epidemiological transition.FundingThe funding source had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

The effects of trade openness on rural-urban sectoral employment, wages, and earnings: Evidence from Peru's second wave of trade liberalization

The effects of trade liberalization on wages, inequality, and employment in middle-income countries remains an important empirical question. However, with few exceptions, most of the empirical literature has focused on aggregate impacts at a national or regional level and the effects on skilled versus unskilled workers. This paper focuses on the effects of trade liberalization on industry-specific wages, earnings, and employment in rural and urban areas of Peru, providing more nuanced evidence on the distributional effects of trade. We use an instrumental variable approach and different measures of trade liberalization for the 2001–2016 period. Our main results suggest that, first, trade openness is associated with an increase in urban workers’ earnings and wages, with self-employed workers benefitting the most. Second, whereas wages of workers with low and high levels of education decrease as a consequence of trade openness, the earnings of self-employed workers are affected positively, benefiting unskilled workers the most. In addition, while earnings increase in almost all industries in both rural and urban areas, effects are heterogeneous for wages. Overall, both salaried and self-employed agricultural workers benefitted from trade openness, indicative that agriculture is a competitive sector with important export potential.

Prevalence of Parkinsonism and Parkinson Disease in Urban and Rural Populations from Latin America: A Community Population-Based Survey

Background: Age-gender-specific prevalence rates for parkinsonism and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are important to guide research, clinical practice and public health planning; however, prevalence estimates in Latin America (LatAm) are limited. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of parkinsonism and PD and examine its risk factors in a cohort of elderly individuals from LatAm. Methods: Data from 11,613 adults (65+ years) who participated in a baseline assessment of the 10/66 study and who lived in six LatAm countries were analyzed to estimate Parkinsonism and PD prevalence. Crude and age-adjusted prevalence were determined by sex and country. Diagnosis of PD was established using the UK Parkinson’s Disease Society Brain Bank’s clinical criteria. Findings: In this cohort, the prevalence of Parkinsonism was 8.0% (95% CI 7.6%-8.5%), and the prevalence of PD was 2.0% (95% CI 1.7%-2.3%). PD prevalence increased with age from 1.0 to 3.5 (65-69 vs. 80 years or older, p<0.001). Age-adjusted prevalence rates were lower for women than for men. No significant differences were found across countries, except for lower prevalence in urban areas of Peru. PD was positively associated with depression (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 2.06, 95% CI 1.40-3.01, I2=56.0%), dementia (aPR 1.57, 95% CI 1.07- 2.32, I2=0.0%) and educational level (aPR 1.14, 95% CI 1.01- 1.29, I2=58.6%). Interpretation: The reported prevalence of PD in LatAm is similar to the prevalence in HIC. A significant proportion of cases with PD did not have a previous diagnosis, nor did they seek any medical or neurological attention. These findings underscore the need to improve public health programs for populations that are currently undergoing rapid demographic aging and epidemiological transition. Funding: The 10/66 Dementia Research Group’s research has been funded by the Wellcome Trust Health Consequences of Population Change Program (GR066133 – Prevalence phase in Cuba and Brazil; GR080002- Incidence phase in Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and China). Declaration of Interest: None to declare. Ethical Approval: This project was approved by local institutional review boards and the King’s College London Research Ethics Committee.

Population seroprevalence of celiac disease in urban areas of Peru.

The objective of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of celiac disease (CD) in urban areas of Peru using a population-based sample. A random sample of women and men 18 to 29 years old from 26 cities in Peru was screened. An anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA kit was used for the detection of CD. Results higher than 20 AU / ml were considered positive. The weighted prevalence of celiac disease was 1.2% (CI 95%: 0.0% - 2.4%), thus the estimated number of people living with CD in Peru was 341,783. CD prevalence in Peru is similar to the world average.

Working, safety and health conditions in the economically active and employed population in urban areas of Peru.

The present study aims to know the work, safety and health conditions at the jobs of the economically active urban population in Peru. A cross-sectional study was carried out based on a probabilistic sample of multistage areas in which 3122 people over 14 years of age distributed nationwide partici pated. Results: The majority were men (53.6%) between 30 and 59 years (50%). As for working conditions, most people work more than 48 hours per week (39.8%), and Monday through Saturday (44.7%). Regarding the safety, hygiene, ergonomic and psychosocial conditions, the results showed a lower risk exposure. Regarding health conditions, the majority report that the identification and evaluation of occupational hazards is not carried out in their workplace (35.9%), they do not have occupational health services (40.7%) or a delegate or a Health and sa fety committee (39.4%) and no occupational medical evaluations (39.3%). The economically active urban population of Peru is more frequently exposed to noise, solar radiation, awkward postures and repetitive movements, work at a fast pace with little control and hide their emotions; In addition, occupational health is not managed adequately in workplaces. These conditions may affect the health of workers and the quality of work.

Parents’ Perceptions about Salt Consumption in Urban Areas of Peru: Formative Research for a Social Marketing Strategy

Background: Salt intakes in Latin America currently double the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 5 g/day. Various strategies to reduce the population’s salt consumption, such as raising awareness using social marketing, have been recommended. This study identified parents’ perceptions of salt consumption to inform a social marketing strategy focused on urban areas in Peru. Methods: Using a sequential exploratory methods design, parents of pre-school children, of high and low socioeconomic status, provided qualitative data in the form of interviews and focus groups. Following this, quantitative data was obtained via questionnaires, which were sent to all parents. The information was analyzed jointly. Results: 296 people (mean age 35.4, 82% women) participated, 64 in the qualitative and 232 in the quantitative phase of the study. Qualitative data from the first phase revealed that the majority of mothers were in charge of cooking, and female participants expressed that cooking was “their duty” as housewives. The qualitative phase also revealed that despite the majority of the participants considered their salt intake as adequate, half of them mentioned that they have tried to reduce salt consumption, and the change in the flavor of the food was stated as the most difficult challenge to continue with such practice. Quantitative data showed that 67% of participants would be willing to reduce their salt intake, and 79.7% recognized that high salt intake causes hypertension. In total, 84% of participants reaffirmed that mothers were in charge of cooking. There were no salient differences in terms of responses provided by participants from high versus low socioeconomic groups. Conclusions: The results point towards the identification of women as a potential target-audience of a social marketing strategy to promote reductions in salt intake in their families and, therefore, a gender-responsive social marketing intervention is recommended.

Molecular Characterization of Tandem Repeat Protein 36 Gene of Ehrlichia canis Detected in Naturally Infected Dogs from Peru.

Ehrlichia spp. are emerging infectious pathogens, especially in the Americas. Although Ehrlichia canis is primarily a parasite of dogs, polymerase chain reaction-confirmed human infections have been reported from Mexico, Venezuela, and Costa Rica. This study reports the presence of E. canis DNA in 13.7% of 205 dogs from urban areas in Peru and of those, five were analyzed for phylogenetic variation using the Tandem Repeat Protein 36 (TRP36) gene. The use of the TRP36 gene for such analysis was validated against 16S rRNA and heat shock protein genes using Shannon's entropy bioinformatic approach. When compared with other E. canis strains previously reported, three unique and novel E. canis strains were detected. In addition, the TRP36 amino acid tandem repeat sequences of the Peruvian strains share close similarity to an E. canis strain detected from four human blood bank samples in Costa Rica. This study reports for the first time domestic dogs infected with E. canis strains closely related to a zoonotic strain, which may be of public health concern as dogs can be chronically infected with this pathogen.

성별에 따른 페루 청소년의 자살생각 관련 요인: 페루 도시빈민지역 학생 기초조사 결과를 중심으로

성별에 따른 페루 청소년의 자살생각 관련 요인: 페루 도시빈민지역 학생 기초조사 결과를 중심으로

Patterns and Determinants of Physical Inactivity in Rural and Urban Areas in Peru: A Population-Based Study.

Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors have been linked with impaired health outcomes. Establishing the physical inactivity profiles of a given population is needed to establish program targets and to contribute to international monitoring efforts. We report the prevalence of, and explore sociodemographical and built environment factors associated with physical inactivity in 4 resource-limited settings in Peru: rural Puno, urban Puno, Pampas de San Juan de Miraflores (urban), and Tumbes (semiurban). Cross-sectional analysis of the CRONICAS Cohort Study's baseline assessment. Outcomes of interest were physical inactivity of leisure time (<600 MET-min/week) and transport-related physical activity (not reporting walking or cycling trips) domains of the IPAQ, as well as watching TV, as a proxy of sedentarism (≥2 hours per day). Exposures included demographic factors and perceptions about neighborhood's safety. Associations were explored using Poisson regression models with robust standard errors. Prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) are presented. Data from 3593 individuals were included: 48.5% males, mean age 55.1 (SD: 12.7) years. Physical inactivity was present at rates of 93.7% (95% CI 93.0%-94.5%) and 9.3% (95% CI 8.3%-10.2%) within the leisure time and transport domains, respectively. In addition, 41.7% (95% CI 40.1%-43.3%) of participants reported watching TV for more than 2 hours per day. Rates varied according to study settings (P < .001). In multivariable analysis, being from rural settings was associated with 3% higher prevalence of leisure time physical inactivity relative to highly urban Lima. The pattern was different for transport-related physical inactivity: both Puno sites had around 75% to 50% lower prevalence of physical inactivity. Too much traffic was associated with higher levels of transport-related physical inactivity (PR = 1.24; 95% CI 1.01-1.54). Our study showed high levels of inactivity and marked contrasting patterns by rural/urban sites. These findings highlight the need to generate synergies to expand nationwide physical activity surveillance systems.

Estudio sobre incidencia de anticuerpos a virus de influenza tipo "A" entre un grupo de estudiantes de Medicina

Tres cepas de virus A de influenza han demostrado haber sido prevalente en áreas urbanas del Perú. La experiencia antigénica, mostrada por pruebas de inhibición de la hemaglutinación con los virus PR8 y Jap/305/57 se demostraron entre 100 estudiantes de Medicina del primer y segundo año. La sero.inmunidad al PR8 y FM1 fue encontrado en el 93% de los individuos examinados; la sero-inmunidad a las cepas asiáticas de virus fue demostrada en 31 sujetos. La incidencia de dichas infecciones, tal como han sido indicadas por la sero-inmunidad, es similar a la encontrada entre grupos similares en Norte América.

Asclepiadaeum: un poema latino del Perú colonial

El rol que jugó el latín como lengua de cultura y prestigio en las colonias españolas en América no ha sido estudiado a fondo. Especialmente en el caso del virreinato del Perú, la escasez de documentos ha impedido realizar investigaciones detalladas en este campo. En este trabajo analizo la importancia del latín en las zonas urbanas de la sociedad colonial peruana sobre la base de documentos escritos por autores peruanos y publicados en el virreinato del Perú hasta principios del siglo XIX. Entre estos, y por sucarácter único, destaca Asclepiadaeum, un poema en honor del virrey De la Pezuela, quien arribó a Lima en 1816.

Characterization of Small ColE-Like Plasmids Mediating Widespread Dissemination of the qnrB19 Gene in Commensal Enterobacteria

In this work, we have characterized two small ColE-like plasmids (pECY6-7, 2.7 kb in size, and pECC14-9, of 3.0 kb), encoding the QnrB19 quinolone resistance determinant, that were carried by several clonally unrelated quinolone-resistant commensal Escherichia coli strains isolated from healthy children living in different urban areas of Peru and Bolivia. The two plasmids are closely related to each other and carry the qnrB19 gene as the sole resistance determinant, located in a conserved genetic context between the plasmid RNAII sequence (which controls plasmid replication) and the plasmid Xer site (involved in plasmid dimer resolution). ISEcp1-like or other putative insertion sequences are not present in the qnrB19-flanking regions or elsewhere on the plasmids. Since we previously observed a high prevalence (54%) of qnrB genes in the metagenomes of commensal enterobacteria from the same population of healthy children, the presence of pECY6-7- and pECC14-9-like plasmids in those qnrB-positive metagenomes was investigated by PCR mapping. Both plasmids were found to be highly prevalent (67% and 16%, respectively) in the qnrB-positive metagenomes, suggesting that dissemination of these small plasmids played a major role in the widespread dissemination of qnrB genes observed in commensal enterobacteria from healthy children living in those areas.

The effect on cardiovascular risk factors of migration from rural to urban areas in Peru: PERU MIGRANT Study.

BackgroundMass-migration observed in Peru from the 1970s occurred because of the need to escape from politically motivated violence and work related reasons. The majority of the migrant population, mostly Andean peasants from the mountainous areas, tends to settle in clusters in certain parts of the capital and their rural environment could not be more different than the urban one. Because the key driver for migration was not the usual economic and work-related reasons, the selection effects whereby migrants differ from non-migrants are likely to be less prominent in Peru. Thus the Peruvian context offers a unique opportunity to test the effects of migration.Methods/DesignThe PERU MIGRANT (PEru's Rural to Urban MIGRANTs) study was designed to investigate the magnitude of differences between rural-to-urban migrant and non-migrant groups in specific CVD risk factors. For this, three groups were selected: Rural, people who have always have lived in a rural environment; Rural-urban, people who migrated from rural to urban areas; and, Urban, people who have always lived in a urban environment.DiscussionOverall response rate at enrolment was 73.2% and overall response rate at completion of the study was 61.6%. A rejection form was obtained in 282/323 people who refused to take part in the study (87.3%). Refusals did not differ by sex in rural and migrant groups, but 70% of refusals in the urban group were males. In terms of age, most refusals were observed in the oldest age-group (>60 years old) in all study groups. The final total sample size achieved was 98.9% of the target sample size (989/1000). Of these, 52.8% (522/989) were females. Final size of the rural, migrant and urban study groups were 201, 589 and 199 urban people, respectively. Migrant's average age at first migration and years lived in an urban environment were 14.4 years (IQR 10–17) and 32 years (IQR 25–39), respectively.This paper describes the PERU MIGRANT study design together with a critical analysis of the potential for bias and confounding in migrant studies, and strategies for reducing these problems. A discussion of the potential advantages provided by the case of migration in Peru to the field of migration and health is also presented.

Internet Use and the Network Composition of People Living with HIV/AIDS in an Urban Area in Peru

This study examines the association between Internet use and (1) the number of close ties (people with whom a person is closely acquainted), and (2) the percentage of HIV-positive individuals in the personal network of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in an urban area of Peru. Ninety-four PLHA responded to a survey; 72% were male, and the average age was 36.65 (SD=7.92). Internet use was not associated with the number of close ties or with a greater number of close ties who are HIV-positive in one's personal network. Internet use was higher among those with greater than a high school education and females reported more social ties than males.

A Downward‐Sloping Labor Supply Curve: The Case of Peru

AbstractThe author finds evidence of a downward‐sloping labor supply curve for urban areas in Peru from cross‐sectional household data for 2002 and pooled data for available years from 1985 to 2000. Individuals respond to lower hourly earnings with an increase in the quantity supplied of work hours. This behavior would help to explain the increasing trend in average work hours in Peru (this average for male workers in Lima, the capital city, rose from 50.5 to 53.9 weekly hours between 1985 and 2000; meanwhile, 33.4% of workers had weekly schedules above 60 hours in 2002). Another finding is the increase in hours supplied due to pressure from the more numerous cohorts recently entering the Peruvian labor market.

Rural and agricultural finance: emerging practices from Peruvian financial institutions

The formal financial system in Peru provides very limited rural and agricultural finance services and most financial institutions focus uniquely on serving urban clients. If financial institutions lend to agriculture at all, it is primarily to large agro-processors or input suppliers, rather than to farmers directly. Even microfinance providers, which are more inclined to serve the needs of the rural poor, focus on the urban areas of Peru. Given the Peruvian microfinance industry's 20 per cent growth last year, microfinance providers are likely to continue to focus on unserved urban markets, which are easier to serve than rural markets. However, several financial institutions in Peru are making efforts to serve poor clients with a variety of rural and agricultural finance product and process innovations that reduce transaction costs and manage risks. This article captures some of the emerging products and processes of four Peruvian financial institutions, which may have applicability to other countries as...

Improved Metabolic Risk Markers Following Two 6-Month Physical Activity Programs Among Socioeconomic Marginalized Women of Native American Ancestry in Lima, Peru

It is known that ethnicity is a risk factor for diabetes. Thus, individuals of African, Latin American, and Asian descent are particularly susceptible (1). As an example, a health survey in six urban areas in Peru found a diabetes prevalence of 17% among women (2,3). It was also found that low socioeconomic status was associated with a high burden of noncommunicable diseases and appeared as an independent risk factor for diabetes. In several populations, it is known that increased physical activity reduces the risk for diabetes (4,5). Whether this applies for all populations is, however, not known. The aim of the present study was to explore if supervised endurance training is feasible among socioeconomically marginalized women of a poor urban area in Lima, Peru. The study population consisted of 142 Amerindian women. They were all examined in 1999 (6) and had a normal fasting plasma glucose concentration (range 2.8–5.6 mmol/l). Five years later, a total of 83 women participated in a follow-up examination (7). Of these, 76 consented to take part in the present training study. Mean age was 41 years (range 25–64 years). The women were randomly assigned into group A (one training session per week) or group B (three training sessions per week). No economic compensation was given besides free athlete suits …