[1] Despite the challenges Nicaragua faces in improving public health, there has been a notable increase in life expectancy since the Sandanista Revolution of 1979, when it stood as low as 55 years old.
[4] Additionally, in the women's health sector, high rates of adolescent pregnancy and cervical cancer continue to persist as national concerns.
[5] The infrastructure surrounding healthcare in Nicaragua faces challenges that may contribute to the exacerbation of health issues and hinder sustainable improvements.
In the process of Nicaragua's democratization, there has been a general decrease in funding allocated to public services, coinciding with an increasing prevalence of privatization in healthcare, including both primary and secondary care.
[17] In Latin America, stigma and discrimination against HIV/AIDS serve as barriers to effective responses and are linked to social inequalities associated with gender, living status, and sexuality.
[18] One study found that while 90% of Nicaraguan adolescents would accept and care for a family member with HIV/AIDS, only 69% would tell anyone else if they got diagnosed as HIV-infected and only 46% would share food with someone who was infected.
[17] Nine years following the detection of the first HIV case in Nicaragua, the Nicaraguan government instituted Law 238 to protect the rights of those infected with HIV/AIDS in regards to confidentiality, access to healthcare, and nondiscrimination,[19] setting the precedent for future intervention strategies focused on decreasing AIDs stigma amongst various professionals, including health care workers.
[30] Overall decreasing national infant mortality trends correspond with higher educational levels of mothers and lower fertility rates.
An overwhelming majority of emotional distress cases amongst every-married Nicaraguan women is attributable to current or former experiences of domestic abuse.