Latin America faces common development and health problems and equity and overcoming poverty are crucial in the search for comprehensive and high impact solutions. The article analyzes the definition of social capital, its relationship with health, its limitations and potentialities from a perspective of community development and health promotion in Latin America. High-priority challenges are also identified as well as possible ways to better measure and to strengthen social capital. Particularly, it is discussed how and why social capital may […]

Ageing has now become a universal phenomenon, of increasing importance to developed and developing countries alike. In this, the first of a series of articles on ageing in developing countries, the actual demographic revolution is discussed, with special reference to Brazil. Estimates are provided up to the year 2025. The article analyses the factors which are responsible for this ageing process – such as the rapid decline in fertility and mortality rates that many Third Word countries have been experiencing […]

The social and economic transformation which has been occurring in the life of the elderly, and the increase of the Brazilian population aged 60 years or over is discussed. The migration process (in 1940 the rural population was 68.8% and in 1980, 32.4%) and the intense urbanisation in major Brazilian cities has been particularly evident for the elderly population, or for those growing older in these cities. This new social organization had increased the problems of loneliness and poverty among […]