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The rise of noncommunicable diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean: challenges for public health policies

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  • Maria Anauati
  • Sebastian Galiani
  • Federico Weinschelbaum

Abstract

The health landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean is changing quickly. The region is undergoing a demographic and epidemiological transition in which health problems are highly concentrated on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). In light of this, the region faces two main challenges: (1) develop cost-effective policies to prevent NCD risk factors, and (2) increase access to quality healthcare in a scenario in which a large share of the labor force is employed in the informal sector. This paper describes both alternative interventions to expand health insurance coverage and their trade-off with labor informality and moral hazard problems. The paper also focuses on obesity as a case example of an NCD, and emphasizes how lack of knowledge along with self-control problems would lead people to make suboptimal decisions related to food consumption, which may later manifest in obesity problems. Copyright The Author(s) 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Maria Anauati & Sebastian Galiani & Federico Weinschelbaum, 2015. "The rise of noncommunicable diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean: challenges for public health policies," Latin American Economic Review, Springer;Centro de Investigaciòn y Docencia Económica (CIDE), vol. 24(1), pages 1-56, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:laecrv:v:24:y:2015:i:1:p:1-56:10.1007/s40503-015-0025-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s40503-015-0025-7
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Noncommunicable diseases; Obesity; Health insurance; I12; I13; I18;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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