Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42417806›Full record

ArticleRevista de saude publica2026

Progress, challenges, and lessons for climate resilient and low carbon health systemsin Latin America and the Caribbean: an exploratory mixed-methods study.

Yasna Palmeiro-Silva, Camila Llerena-Cayo, Sebastian Bauhoff, Kristie L Ebi, Catharina Giudice, Cristian A Herrera, Jeremy J Hess, Zuhelen Padilla, Karen Alicia Polson, Zoila Vela-Clavo and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Revista de saude publica, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Yasna Palmeiro-SilvaUniversity of Washington. Center for Health and the Global Environment. Seattle, WA, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6664-1079
Camila Llerena-CayoUniversidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Centro Latino Americano de Excelencia en Cambio Climático y Salud. Lima, Peru.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8130-4449
Sebastian BauhoffInter-American Development Bank. Washington, DC, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6017-4991
Kristie L EbiUniversity of Washington. Center for Health and the Global Environment. Seattle, WA, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4746-8236
Catharina GiudiceBoston University School of Medicine. Department of Emergency Medicine. Boston, MA, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9075-6407
Cristian A HerreraWorld Bank, Health Nutrition and Population Global Practice. Santiago, Chile.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6219-7975
Jeremy J HessUniversity of Washington. Center for Health and the Global Environment. Seattle, WA, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0440-2459
Zuhelen PadillaPan American Health Organization. Washington, DC, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2721-0468
Karen Alicia PolsonPan American Health Organization. Washington, DC, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-8225-8743
Zoila Vela-ClavoUniversidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Centro Latino Americano de Excelencia en Cambio Climático y Salud. Lima, Peru.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8305-8085
Daniel Forsin BussPan American Health Organization. Washington, DC, United States.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3623-2615
Stella M HartingerUniversidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Centro Latino Americano de Excelencia en Cambio Climático y Salud. Lima, Peru.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3523-1725

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess progress, challenges, and enabling factors for building climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems across Latin America and the Caribbean, a region facing accelerating climate-sensitive health burdens amidst persistent health system fragilities.

methodsWe conducted an explanatory, sequential, mixed-methods study integrating quantitative analysis of the Pan American Health Organisation Climate Change and Health surveys from 2021/2022 (n = 24 countries) and 2023/2024 (n = 27 countries) with semi-structured interviews involving four countries demonstrating progress (Argentina, Chile, Jamaica, Peru). Quantitative data were analysed descriptively across three sub-regions (Caribbean, Central America, South America). Qualitative data underwent two-stage coding (deductive and inductive) with three-researcher consensus to identify barriers, enablers, and lessons learned.

resultsBy 2023/2024, 93% of countries had designated climate-health focal points (71% in 2021/2022). However, implementation gaps persist: less than 50% of countries had integrated climate change into national health reports; 22%-40% developed national climate-health strategies; and vulnerability assessments rarely informed policy. Access to international climate finance remained inequitable. Whilst 60%-74% developed disaster preparedness plans, only 30%-44% implemented public health communication campaigns. Training focused on environmental health personnel, with doctors, nurses, and planning staff minimally engaged. Qualitative analysis revealed interconnected barriers: climate change perceived as distant rather than urgent, competing priorities overwhelming decision-makers, institutional silos, and misalignment between available training and local needs. Key enablers included linking climate action to established health priorities, institutionalising responsibilities through formal mechanisms, multi-stakeholder engagement, and committed individuals with diplomatic skills navigating cross-sectoral dynamics.

conclusionLatin America and the Caribbean countries are establishing foundations for climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems, but translating governance progress into sustained implementation requires addressing systemic barriers through institutionalisation beyond political cycles, tailored capacity building, and innovative financing mechanisms. These findings inform guidance for health systems strengthening amidst accelerating climate change.

Indexed as

CarbonClimate ChangeDelivery of Health CareCaribbean RegionHumansLatin AmericaPublic Health InfrastructureQualitative ResearchCarbon

Identifiers

PMID42417806
PMCPMC13336743

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.