Oscar Bernal
Biographic Data
| ID | 97926 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Oscar Bernal |
| GIVEN NAMES | Oscar |
| FAMILY NAME | Bernal |
| SIGNATURE | BERNAL O |
| AFFILIATIONS | Universidad de los Andes |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2514-3318 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 12 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Mental health and catastrophic health expenditures in conflict-affected regions of Colombia before and during Covid-19
The objective of this study is to analyze the changes in catastrophic health expenditures (CHE) and out-of-pocket expenditures (OOP) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to examine their determinants in Meta, Colombia, a region affected by armed conflict. We used data from the Conflicto, Paz y Salud (CONPAS) survey and applied mixed-effects logistic regression models. The analysis places particular emphasis on mental health as a ke…
Impact of the armed conflict in Colombia
Introduction In Colombia, research on health and conflict has focused on mental health, psychosocial care, displacement, morbidity, and mortality. Few scientific studies have assessed health system functioning during armed conflicts. In a new period characterized by the implementation of the peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) armed group, understanding the effects of armed conflict on the health system, the fun…
Addressing recall bias in (post-)conflict data collection and analysis
Our study makes a novel contribution to the field of applied health research in humanitarian settings, by providing practical methodological guidance for the implementation of data collection efforts in humanitarian contexts where recall information, collected from primary surveys, is required to allow assessments of changes in health and wellbeing. Key lessons include the importance of embedding appropriate strategies to test and address recall …
Inequalities in catastrophic health expenditures in conflict-affected areas and the Colombian peace agreement
Conflict-deescalation and the peace agreement may have facilitated lower-income groups to have access to health services, especially in territories highly impacted by conflict. This, consequently, may have led to higher levels of out-of-pocket expenditures and, therefore, to higher chances of experiencing catastrophic expenditures for lower-income groups in comparison to higher-income groups. Therefore, results indicate the importance of designin…
A light of hope? Inequalities in mental health before and after the peace agreement in Colombia
The reduction in the contribution of conflict-related variables for explaining mental health inequalities could mean that the negative consequences of conflict on mental health have started to diminish in the short run after the peace agreement. Nevertheless, conflict and the presence of other socioeconomic inequalities still contribute to persistent adverse mental health outcomes in the overall population. Thus, public policy should be oriented …
Determinantes sociales y meta de tuberculosis en los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible en las Américas
Objetivo. Determinar el comportamiento de los indicadores de incidencia de tuberculosis (TB) y número de muertes por TB en el marco de la meta 3.3 de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) y su correlación con los determinantes sociales. Métodos. Se utilizó una metodología de estudio ecológico, en el cual la unidad de análisis es la población. Para el análisis de los determinantes sociales, se hizo uso del modelo de regresión binomial negat…
“It's a Race Against the Clock”
CONTEXT: In 2006, the Colombian Constitutional Court issued a decision largely decriminalizing abortion; however, illegal abortion persists. Understanding the barriers that cause women to resort to unsafe, illegal abortions could help improve access to legal services. METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted in 2014 with 17 women aged 18 or older who had had legal abortions in the past year in Bogotá, Colombia, to identify barriers to abortion…
Sociodemographic factors related to handgrip strength in children and adolescents in a middle income country
OBJECTIVE: To determine sociodemographic factors associated with handgrip (HG) strength in a representative sample of children and adolescents from a middle income country. METHODS: We evaluated youth between the ages of 8 and 17 from a representative sample of individuals from the Department of Santander, Colombia. Anthropometric measures, HG strength, and self-reported physical activity were assessed, and parents/guardians completed sociodemogr…
Increasing access to comprehensive care for Chagas disease
Worldwide, over 6 million people are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the pathogen that causes Chagas disease (CD). In the Americas, CD creates the greatest burden in disability-adjusted life years of any parasitic infection. In Colombia, 437 000 people are infected with T. cruzi, of whom 131 000 suffer from cardiomyopathy. Colombia's annual costs for treating patients with advanced CD reach US$ 175 016 000. Although timely etiological treatment …
How universal is coverage and access to diagnosis and treatment for Chagas disease in Colombia? A health systems analysis
“The Fetus Is My Patient, Too”
CONTEXT: In 2006, the Colombian Constitutional Court partially decriminalized abortion. However, barriers to access, including improper use of conscientious objection, remain. METHODS: To explore conscientious objection from the objectors' perspectives, in-depth interviews were conducted in 2014 with 13 key informants and with 15 Colombian physicians who self-identified as conscientious objectors. Recruitment included snowball and purposive sampl…
Disponibilidad de datos y perfil de morbilidad en Colombia
Although diagnoses of noncommunicable diseases have increased in Colombia, infections continue to have an important presence in all age groups and health services delivery settings. This situation requires a review of health policies, not only to orient them toward improving the health of the population, but also toward bridging the services gap that exists among the country's different regions. Furthermore, although RIPS are a valuable source of…
Disponibilidad de datos y perfil de morbilidad en Colombia
Although diagnoses of noncommunicable diseases have increased in Colombia, infections continue to have an important presence in all age groups and health services delivery settings. This situation requires a review of health policies, not only to orient them toward improving the health of the population, but also toward bridging the services gap that exists among the country's different regions. Furthermore, although RIPS are a valuable source of…
“The Fetus Is My Patient, Too”
CONTEXT: In 2006, the Colombian Constitutional Court partially decriminalized abortion. However, barriers to access, including improper use of conscientious objection, remain. METHODS: To explore conscientious objection from the objectors' perspectives, in-depth interviews were conducted in 2014 with 13 key informants and with 15 Colombian physicians who self-identified as conscientious objectors. Recruitment included snowball and purposive sampl…
“It's a Race Against the Clock”
CONTEXT: In 2006, the Colombian Constitutional Court issued a decision largely decriminalizing abortion; however, illegal abortion persists. Understanding the barriers that cause women to resort to unsafe, illegal abortions could help improve access to legal services. METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted in 2014 with 17 women aged 18 or older who had had legal abortions in the past year in Bogotá, Colombia, to identify barriers to abortion…
Sociodemographic factors related to handgrip strength in children and adolescents in a middle income country
OBJECTIVE: To determine sociodemographic factors associated with handgrip (HG) strength in a representative sample of children and adolescents from a middle income country. METHODS: We evaluated youth between the ages of 8 and 17 from a representative sample of individuals from the Department of Santander, Colombia. Anthropometric measures, HG strength, and self-reported physical activity were assessed, and parents/guardians completed sociodemogr…
Increasing access to comprehensive care for Chagas disease
Worldwide, over 6 million people are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the pathogen that causes Chagas disease (CD). In the Americas, CD creates the greatest burden in disability-adjusted life years of any parasitic infection. In Colombia, 437 000 people are infected with T. cruzi, of whom 131 000 suffer from cardiomyopathy. Colombia's annual costs for treating patients with advanced CD reach US$ 175 016 000. Although timely etiological treatment …
How universal is coverage and access to diagnosis and treatment for Chagas disease in Colombia? A health systems analysis
Determinantes sociales y meta de tuberculosis en los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible en las Américas
Objetivo. Determinar el comportamiento de los indicadores de incidencia de tuberculosis (TB) y número de muertes por TB en el marco de la meta 3.3 de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) y su correlación con los determinantes sociales. Métodos. Se utilizó una metodología de estudio ecológico, en el cual la unidad de análisis es la población. Para el análisis de los determinantes sociales, se hizo uso del modelo de regresión binomial negat…
Inequalities in catastrophic health expenditures in conflict-affected areas and the Colombian peace agreement
Conflict-deescalation and the peace agreement may have facilitated lower-income groups to have access to health services, especially in territories highly impacted by conflict. This, consequently, may have led to higher levels of out-of-pocket expenditures and, therefore, to higher chances of experiencing catastrophic expenditures for lower-income groups in comparison to higher-income groups. Therefore, results indicate the importance of designin…
A light of hope? Inequalities in mental health before and after the peace agreement in Colombia
The reduction in the contribution of conflict-related variables for explaining mental health inequalities could mean that the negative consequences of conflict on mental health have started to diminish in the short run after the peace agreement. Nevertheless, conflict and the presence of other socioeconomic inequalities still contribute to persistent adverse mental health outcomes in the overall population. Thus, public policy should be oriented …
Addressing recall bias in (post-)conflict data collection and analysis
Our study makes a novel contribution to the field of applied health research in humanitarian settings, by providing practical methodological guidance for the implementation of data collection efforts in humanitarian contexts where recall information, collected from primary surveys, is required to allow assessments of changes in health and wellbeing. Key lessons include the importance of embedding appropriate strategies to test and address recall …
Impact of the armed conflict in Colombia
Introduction In Colombia, research on health and conflict has focused on mental health, psychosocial care, displacement, morbidity, and mortality. Few scientific studies have assessed health system functioning during armed conflicts. In a new period characterized by the implementation of the peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) armed group, understanding the effects of armed conflict on the health system, the fun…
Mental health and catastrophic health expenditures in conflict-affected regions of Colombia before and during Covid-19
The objective of this study is to analyze the changes in catastrophic health expenditures (CHE) and out-of-pocket expenditures (OOP) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to examine their determinants in Meta, Colombia, a region affected by armed conflict. We used data from the Conflicto, Paz y Salud (CONPAS) survey and applied mixed-effects logistic regression models. The analysis places particular emphasis on mental health as a ke…
Medicine (11 works) · Environmental health (5 works) · Geography (5 works) · Population (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Demography (4 works) · Demography (3 works) · Economic growth (3 works) · Economics (3 works) · Family medicine (3 works)