[Pollutants in water bodies in the south of Sonora]. / Contaminantes en los cuerpos de agua del sur de Sonora.

OBJECTIVE: To contribute to the knowledge on the impact of human productive activities on the environment, human health, and the survival of animal species. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A study case of water bodies in the south of Sonora was conducted in 1996. The software Decision Support System for Industrial Pollution Control DSS-IPC (IPC)IPC developed by the World Bank and the Pan American Health Organization was used to analyze data. RESULTS: At least three factors have contributed to the loss of fish and shrimp hatcheries in the municipality of Huatabampo: the filtration of fertilizers and pesticides into the irrigation drainage system, blockage produced by the continuous disposal of industrial waste water, and the discharge of sewer water into the drainage system. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings provide evidence that environmental deterioration resulting from human activity is decimating the population of fish and shrimp in the area. The English version of this paper is available at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html

Prostate cancer mortality trends in Mexico, 1980-1995.

BACKGROUND: In Mexico, prostate cancer (PC) is the second highest cause of mortality by cancer in men. In 1991, there were 2,473 deaths, with a crude rate of 5.66 cases per 100,000 men age 40 or over. For this same year, the ratio of proportional mortality to the total number of malignant tumors was 12.6%. Our objectives were to determine the trends and geographic distribution of mortality for PC in Mexico for 1980-1995. METHODS: Crude and adjusted mortality rates were carried out for 1980-1995. A test for trend was done using the simple lineal regression method. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was calculated for 1980-1995 for each Mexican state. RESULTS: The total number of deaths by PC in Mexico for 1980-1995 was 32,349. The crude mortality rate increased during that period from 3.16 to 6.75 cases per 100,000 men over age 40. The statistical trend test with respect to time was significant (P<0.0001). The state of Southern Baja California showed a higher SMR, and a smaller SMR was shown for the state of Quintana Roo. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality trends for PC increased for the period studied. It represents a serious problem for public health. We find that the central and northern states of the country, characterized by a greater industrial and socioeconomic development, are those with a higher SMR.

[Epidemiology of cancer of the breast in Mexico. Consequences of demography transition]. / La epidemia de cáncer de mama en México. Consecuencia de la transición demográfica?

OBJECTIVE: Analyze the relation between reductions in fertility and the inverse en breast cancer mortality in the different states of Mexico for the period 1979-1994. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fertility rates and beast cancer mortality rates were utilized to analyze the proposed relationship in the states of the country. Principal component analysis and classification analysis were then used in the confirmatory analysis of this relationship. RESULTS: There is an important decrease in fertility trends overall with regional differences: the northern states of Mexico have lowest then the southern states. These regional differences are inversely related to the observed differences in breast cancer mortality within the states: the northern states have levels of breast cancer mortality much higher than the southern states. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in mortality due to breast cancer and its relation to the decrease in fertility illustrates the importance that must be given to the preventive aspect of health services since in the near future Mexican women will exhibit reproductive behaviors similar to women in developed countries.

[Effects of health services and socioeconomic factors in spatial differences in mortality in Mexico]. / Efecto de los servicios de salud y de factores socioeconómicos en las diferencias espaciales de la mortalidad mexicana.

OBJECTIVE: Mortality in Mexico has decreased significantly, however, regional differences persist. The present work analyzes mortality in Mexico, considering how social and economic factors, as well as the presence of medical centers affect these differences. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were taken from the XI Population Census, from the statistics published by the Interinstitutional Information Group (Secretaría de Salud) and the publications from the National Statistics, Geography and Informatics Institute. The causal model is defined in terms of the models of covariance structures (LISREL) which allow an estimate of the effect of non-measurable factors affecting the phenomenon. The program used herein was LISREL7. RESULTS: Social and economic status directly affect regional differences in mortality. The effect of medical centers is less important. CONCLUSIONS: Regional differences in mortality can be explained by the interaction between social and economic levels and the presence of medical centers. The higher the social and economic level, the lower the mortality rate. Better medical centers are also more frequently used, which is reflected as a lower mortality rate. The regional distribution of medical centers should be improved.

[A covariance structure model for the analysis of spatial differences in Mexican mortality]. / Modelo de estructura de covarianzas para el analisis de las diferencias espaciales de la mortalidad mexicana.

"This article examines some of the possible determinants of spatial mortality differentials in Mexico, on the basis of [a] path analytical model with latent variables." (SUMMARY IN ENG)

[Causality, systems, and dynamic models. Three approaches of the explanation in demography]. / Causalidad, sistemas y modelos dinamicos. Tres enfoques de la explicacion en demografia.

The authors compare three methods of demographic analysis: "causal analysis, the transition models and the dynamic models. The purpose of these three approaches is not the same: transition models examine the transformation of a system during a given period; the dynamic model outlines the evolution of a social process through time; the causal analysis describes the mechanism through which the causes produce its effects. The three approaches differ also in the way they take time into account...[In particular,] causal static models are not pertinent in demographic research." (SUMMARY IN ENG)