Risk behaviors and the ideal body models of these Spanish and Mexican adolescent girls varied significantly, indicating major socio-cultural differences. However, the prevalence of ED was similar. Further research should aim to clarify whether the similarities found between this Spanish sample and a Mexican sample taken from an upper-middle class urban environment, a minority that is unrepresentative of the general population, are also observed in samples from other sectors of Mexican society.

No abstract

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a Spanish-language version of the Stanford Chronic Disease Self-management Program among adults who received medical care in community health centers in Mexico. Methods: This was a prospective, randomized study with Mexican users of community health centers in Tampico, Mexico, conducted between September 2015 and July 2016. A total of 120 adults aged 18 years or older were randomly assigned to intervention (n=62) and control (n=58) groups. Data were collected at baseline and at 3 and 6 months post intervention using a structured questionnaire. A repeated measures ANOVA was used for data analysis. Results: Statistically significant differences were found in intervention participants at 3 and 6 months post intervention compared to baseline and the control group for self-management behaviors, including: social activity limitation, quality of life perception, depression, stress, physical activity, communication with physicians, adherence to physician visits, and self-management behaviors. Conclusions: Chronic disease self-management programs (CDSMP) with Mexican adults in community settings are effective in improving their health and self-management behaviors. Further research is needed to assess CDSMP in Mexico and Latin America using objective measurements and examining health outcomes and self-management maintenance over longer periods of time.

The most recent glacial cycles of the Pleistocene affected the distribution, population sizes, and levels of genetic structure of temperate-forest species in the main Mexican mountain systems. Our objective was to investigate the effects these cycles had on the genetic structure and distribution of a dominant species of the “mexical” vegetation across North and Central America. We studied the genetic diversity of Juniperus deppeana, a conifer distributed from the Southwestern United States to the highlands of Central America. We combined information of one plastid marker and two nuclear markers to infer phylogeographic structure, genetic diversity and demographic changes. We also characterized the climatic niche for each variety to infer the plausible area of suitability during past climatic conditions and to evaluate climatic niche discontinuities along with the species distribution. We found a marked phylogeographic structure separating the populations North and South of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, with populations to the South of this barrier forming a distinct genetic cluster corresponding to Juniperus deppeana var. gamboana. We also found signals of population expansion in the Northern genetic cluster. Ecological niche modeling results confirmed climatic niche differences and discontinuities among J. deppeana varieties and heterogeneous responses to climatic oscillations. Overall, J. deppeana’s genetic diversity has been marked by distribution shifts, population growth and secondary contact the North, and in situ permanence in the South since the last interglacial to the present. High genetic variation suggests a wide and climatically diverse distribution during climatic oscillations. We detected the existence of two main genetic clusters, supporting previous proposals that Juniperus deppeana and Juniperus gamboana may be considered two separate species.