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Loading ...Brazil Launches Unparalled Study of Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
Saturday, August 22nd, 2009Diseases of the circulatory system are the leading cause of death in Brazil. According to the Health Ministry (MS) there are 300,000 deaths and over one million hospitalizations per year, and hypertension and diabetes mellitus are major risk factors. Hypertension affects approximately 35% of the Brazilian population over the age of 40 years and of […]
Recycling Ozone-Depleting Substances
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009This week the Regeneration and Recycling Center of the Northeast (Centro de Regeneração e Reciclagem do Nordeste – CRN) will be inaugurated in the capital of Pernambuco state, Recife. The principal purpose of the CRN is to collect, purify and recycle chlorofluorocarbon 12 (CFC-12), primarily taken from old refrigerators. The Center can also regenerate other […]
World No Tobacco Day 09: Brazilian Research Shows Pictorial Warnings Work
Thursday, May 28th, 2009The World Health Organization (WHO) chose the theme for the 2009 celebration of World No-Tobacco Day on 31 May as “Show the Truth. Picture Warnings Save Lives.” How is Brazil celebrating the day? The National Cancer Institute (INCA) released the preliminary results of a study they say shows that picture warnings on cigarette packs are […]
Brazil Steps Up Funding for Women’s Cancer Exams
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009Brazil’s Health Ministry (MS) announced today two measures to improve access to breast and cervix cancer screening within the country’s Unified Health System (SUS). R$ 94.5 million will be invested over the next three years to increase Pap tests and mammograms (see table below). In addition, in June 2009 the Information System for Breast Cancer Control (SISMAMA) will be brought […]
Smoking Falling Among Brazilian Youth
Thursday, April 9th, 2009The consumption of cigarettes among Brazilian youth has fallen more than half in the last 20 years. In 2008, according to the Health Ministry’s (MS) Surveillance of Risk Factors and Protection from Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (Vigilãncia do Fatores de Risco e Proteção Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico – VIGITEL), 14.8% of youths between […]
Alcohol Abuse Growing Among Brazilians / Crece consumo abusivo de álcool entre os brasileiros
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009Abusive consumption of alcohol is increasing among Brazilians, and Brazilian women are drinking more. That’s two of the findings from the Health Ministry’s (MS) 2008 version of the Surveillance of Risk Factors and Protection from Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (Vigilãncia do Fatores de Risco e Proteção Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico – VIGITEL), and the […]
43% of Brazilians Are Overweight / 43% dos brasileiros estão acima do peso
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009The image of Brazilians many non-Brazilians tend to get from movies, novelas, Brazilian supermodels and tourism ads (mostly for Rio de Janeiro) is that of a trim, tanned, body image-conscious people. But new research done by Brazil’s Health Ministry (MS) indicates the country actually has a growing weight problem, with all that implies to their […]
Recycling Used Motor Oil Packaging in Brazil
Thursday, December 25th, 2008In past posts I’ve discussed how recovery of used motor oil is still in its early stages in Latin American nations such as Brazil and Colombia. But that’s only part of the waste problem generated by the lubricants we use in motor vehicles. There’s also the packaging that the new motor oil comes in, the […]
Outlook for “Green Jobs” / Prognóstico para “empleos verdes”
Monday, December 15th, 2008While the idea of creating a “green economy” with “green jobs” has been around quite a while, it really started to gain serious consideration as the climate change debate heated up, and recently moved front-and-center during the US presidential elections and the debates about how best to respond to the global financial crisis (here, here, […]
World No-Tobacco Day in LAC: Brazil Targets Teens, Adopts Brutal Images
Saturday, June 7th, 2008How did Brazil celebrate World No-Tobacco Day (May 31)? With assaults on tobacco and smoking from many sides, and some of them hard-hitting. This year’s theme selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) for this year’s Day was “Tobacco-Free Youth.” Most of Brazil’s activities followed the theme directly. One was a new publicity campaign of […]