December 11, 2019

A new study found wide-ranging differences in lifespan in six major Latin American cities. The findings – which may be the first to give comprehensive, standardized data about life expectancy at birth within small areas of the cities – help researchers pinpoint what forces are linked to these disparities and what lessons can be learned by Philadelphia and other cities experiencing similar issues.

The findings, recently published in The Lancet Planetary Health from researchers at the Salud Urbana en América Latina (SALURBAL), or Urban Health in Latin America project at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health, are the latest among growing efforts by the group to evaluate how environment and public policies influence the health of the 80 percent of Latin Americans who reside in cities.

The team looked at six Latin American cities that are collectively home to more than 60 million people – Buenos Aires, Argentina; Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; San Jose, Costa Rica; Mexico City, Mexico; and Panama City in Panama – and found broad contrasts in life expectancy when comparing specific areas located within these six metropolitan locations.

Read the full article on the Drexel News Blog: What Lessons Can Philadelphia Learn from Inequality Observed in Latin American Cities?