31 Jan MEDICC Review Journal Looks at Health over the Life Span
Oakland, CA January 31, 2014 – The new issue of MEDICC Review on Health over the Life Span, takes a look at health issues, interventions, and the supporting health care and social structures necessary for wellbeing across a lifetime. Freely available online, MEDICC Review includes original research, features and commentary on Cuba’s population approach to wellness through the lens of health equity.
Cuba’s universal health care system and focus on primary care and prevention has helped the country achieve low rates of low birth weight and infant mortality; as well as longevity, with a life expectancy of 76 years for men and 80 for women.
“Cuba has made great strides in achieving positive health outcomes such as the lowest infant mortality rate in the Americas,” noted Gail Reed, Executive Editor of MEDICC Review. “But challenges remain, particularly with rising obesity rates, childhood anemia, and the ailments that accompany an aging population—such as managing chronic diseases and disability.”
“Health over the Life Span” includes these articles and more:
- Cuba’s Strategy for Well Child and Adolescent Care
- Anemia among Children under Five Years Old in Eastern Cuba
- Frailty, Dependency and Mortality Predictors in Older Adults
- Human Breast Milk Banks in Cuba
The only English-language journal focusing on health and medicine in Cuba and other developing countries, MEDICC Review is an open-access peer-reviewed publication of Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba (MEDICC), Oakland, California, USA. Full-text articles may be freely viewed and downloaded at medicc.org/mediccreview or accessed through PubMed and other indexing services.
Since 1997, MEDICC has worked to enhance cooperation among the US, Cuban and global health communities aimed at better health outcomes and equity. MEDICC produced the feature film ¡Salud! and publishes the MEDLINE-indexed journal MEDICC Review. MEDICC supports research in Cuba by US health professionals, assists US students and graduates of Havana’s Latin American Medical School to return to US underserved communities, and organizes Community Partnerships for Health Equity to improve health care and access in communities such as South Los Angeles and Oakland, California; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and The Bronx, New York. See: medicc.org