Table 1.

Strategies to combat COVID-19 in Latin America from the syndemic perspective.

Topic	Strategies	Scope / Location
Overweight and Obesity	1. Building and supporting evidence on the relevance of obesity control strategies for mitigating the impact of COVID-19	GO and NGO support of research agencies
	2. Facilitating communication between the scientific academy and the Government to make the translation of research and scientific evidence practice viable.	Research and policy efforts
	3. Encouraging weight loss. Supporting actions at different levels of health care: Prevention and treatment. Actions on healthy lifestyle habits, PA and healthy eating habits, as well as treatment of metabolic manifestations such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia.	FSMM monitor and prioritize HCP for the obese population, seeking greater surveillance and the opportunity to monitor health conditions using a MA.
	4. Promoting public health education campaigns and training primary care professionals on optimal glycemic and metabolic control, mainly Diabetes type II, to avoid secondary complications.	FSMM monitor and prioritize HCP for the obese population, ensuring greater surveillance and treatment of health conditions using a MA.
	5. Promoting public education campaigns on sedentary lifestyle benefits and strategies locally adapted, including online, mobile apps, print material, radio, and television. Raising awareness about adopting a habit of regular PA associated with healthy eating habits.	Schools prioritize and increase physical activities for children and adolescents. FSMM support and follow public policies to encourage the practice of PA.
Nutrition habits	1. Reducing consumption of processed foods and beverages (junk food). Increasing taxation and banning advertising on sugary drinks and food with high energy value but poor in nutrients, seeking to raise awareness and encouraging the consumption of healthy foods through advertisements	GOV, public policies. Partnerships between state and federal governments, with public and private companies.
	2. Increasing diversity and frequency of consuming vegetables, legumes, fresh fruit and selected whole grains. Policies to encourage agriculture and small producers at the municipal and state level. Support for the dissemination of healthy eating information and its benefits	GOV, public policies
	3.Raising awareness about healthy food choices and the impact of these choices on health	Public and private companies strengthen social communication on smart choice of healthy foods
Sedentary lifestyle	1. Building and supporting evidence on the relevance of physical activities strategies for mitigating the impact of COVID-19	GOV and NGO financial support of research agencies
	2. Facilitating communication between the scientific academy and the Government to make the translation of research and scientific evidence practice viable.	Researchers and policy efforts
	3. Promoting public education campaigns on PA benefits and strategies locally adapted, including online, mobile apps, print material, radio, and television	GOV and PHA; local governments and NGO, community organizations
	4. Reducing population disparities by offering different counseling opportunities for physical activities and developing effective and viable strategies locally adapted to the pandemic period or other times of crisis.	GOV and PHA; local governments and NGO, CO.
	5. Adapting and disseminating safe places (indoor and outdoor), active transportation and urban design (parks, routes, green spaces) to be active during different phases of the pandemic	GOV and PHA; local governments and NGO, CO
	6. Formal training of health professionals on physical activities	GOV and PHA; local governments and NGO, CO
Smoking habit	1.Building and supporting evidence on the relevance of the negative impact of tobacco habits on outcomes in patients with COVID-19	GOV and NGO financial support of RA
	2. Facilitating communication between the scientific academy and the Government to make the translation of research and scientific evidence practice viable.	Researchers and policy efforts
	3. Encouraging and training primary care professionals on smoking cessation strategies and smoking counseling.	GOVt and PHA; local governments and NGO, CO
	4. Promoting public campaigns on tobacco impact and cessation programs locally adapted	GOV and PHA; local governments and NGO, CO
	5. Keeping regulations on exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, and increasing taxation and banning advertising on tobacco products	GOV, public policies
	6. Offering smoking cessation programs opportunities (mobile app, telephone help-lines, printed material, radio and television)	GOV and PHA; local governments and NGO, CO
	7. Implementing effective programs to promote stop using tobacco in different places (educational institutions, health care facilities, workplaces and community programs). Making treatments for smoking cessation easily accessible.	GOV and PHA; local governments, NGO and CO
	8. Establishing programs for diagnosing, counseling, preventing and treating tobacco dependence. Demystifying beliefs on tobacco well-being.	GOV and PHA, local governments and NGO, CO
Lower income and ethnicity	1. Reducing disparities offering opportunities to access healthcare services and making treatments, personal protective equipment and sanitizers easily accessible and readily available to the vulnerable population	GOV, public policies
	2. Offering education and training to healthcare professionals on COVID-19 approaches (primary care, hospital, post discharge)	GOV, PHA, and NGO, CO
	3. Mass vaccination campaign and priority to the vulnerable population	GOV, public policies

Governmental = GOV; Non-governmental financial = NGO; health care policies = HCP; Federal, state and municipal management = FSMM; Public health associations = PHA; community organizations = CO; multidisciplinary approach = MA; Research agences = RA.