Non-conventional Determinants of Cardiovascular Health in Latin American Women

Abstract

Background: Besides traditional risk factors (RF), non-conventional determinants (NCD) of cardiovascular (CV) health are additional risk factors in women. Therefore, they should be explored to establish their prevalence and association with the female gender. Objective: The aim of this study is to know the prevalence of socioeconomic (SE) and psychosocial (PS) factors as NCD in CV health in Latin American (LATAM) women. Methods: We conducted an observational, cross-sectional study using an anonymous survey distributed among LATAM women between May and June 2022. The information gathered included SE and PS NCD, traditional RF and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Results: A total of 4915 women participated; mean age was 49 ± 13 years. Most respondents (49.6%) lived in Argentina, 55.8% in large cities; 94.4% reported adequate access to healthcare services and 89% had access to some level of education. Although 79.9% had a paid job, more than half reported their salary was not commensurate (59.5%) and 26.7% reported exposure to violence at the workplace. The most prevalent PS factors were low to moderate level of satisfaction (68.3%), anxiety or irritability (51.9%), apathy, negative thoughts, or unhappiness (41.7%). Age > 45 years was significantly associated with overweight, obesity, unemployment, and violence at the workplace. On multivariate analysis, sleep disorders (OR 1.7; p = 0.001), living in a city with low population density (OR 0.5; p < 0.001), violence at the workplace (OR 1.8; p = 0.001), anxiety (OR 1.5; p = 0.001) and a history of pregnancy complications (OR 1.6; p = 0.022) were independently associated with CVD. Conclusion: The prevalence of PS and SE factors affecting the CV health of LATAM women was significant. Variables such as violence at the workplace, anxiety, or irritability, living in cities with low population density, sleep disorders and pregnancy complications were independently associated with CVD. This survey shows the impact of SE and PS factors as NCD on the cardiometabolic burden and CV health of women in LATAM, mainly in those > 45 years.