Extreme poverty linked to unexpected high cardiovascular risks

The Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors among Adults Living in Extreme Poverty

A study published in the journal Nature Human Behavior estimates the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults living in extreme poverty.

Study: The prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults living in extreme poverty. Image Credit: Cozine / Shutterstock

Background

It is generally believed that adults living in extreme poverty in low- and middle-income countries have a lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and smoking.

Adults living in extreme poverty generally consume plant-based foods with lower calorific values and are involved in occupations demanding high-intensity physical activities. These lifestyle patterns are possibly responsible for a lower cardiovascular disease risk.

An accurate estimation of the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in this subpopulation is particularly important for guiding health policy and healthcare delivery. However, only limited data on this matter is currently available from nationally representative surveys.

In this study, scientists have estimated the prevalence of five major cardiovascular disease risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, and smoking, among adults living below the World Bank’s international line for extreme poverty (those with income <$1.90 per day) across the world.    

Study Design

The scientists pooled individual-level data from 105 nationally representative household surveys across 78 countries. This represents 85% of the global population living in extreme poverty. They identified this subpopulation by sorting the individual-level data by country-specific measures of household income or wealth.  

Data obtained from a total of 32,695,579 participants was analyzed in the study. Of all participants, 7,922,289 were living in extreme poverty (income <$1.90 per day), 806,381 on $1.90–3.19 per day, 748,078 on $3.20–5.49 per day, and 922,870 on $5.50 or more per day.   

Important Observations

1. The estimated prevalence of five major cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults living in extreme poverty
   

   SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

   1. SDG 1: No Poverty

      • Target 1.1: By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere
      • Indicator 1.1.1: Proportion of population living below the international poverty line

   2. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

      • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being
      • Indicator 3.4.1: Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease
      • Indicator 3.4.2: Suicide mortality rate
      • Indicator 3.4.3: Proportion of population with access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation

   Analysis:

   1. SDG 1: No Poverty

      The article addresses the issue of extreme poverty and its connection to cardiovascular disease risk factors. SDG 1 aims to eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, which is relevant to the issues highlighted in the article.

      • Target 1.1: By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere

      The article discusses individuals living below the World Bank’s international line for extreme poverty (income <$1.90 per day), which aligns with Target 1.1 of SDG 1.

      • Indicator 1.1.1: Proportion of population living below the international poverty line

      The article provides data on the number of individuals living in extreme poverty, which can be used as an indicator to measure progress towards Target 1.1.

   2. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

      The article discusses the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults living in extreme poverty, which is relevant to SDG 3, which focuses on promoting good health and well-being.

      • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being

      The article highlights the importance of estimating the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in adults living in extreme poverty for guiding health policy and healthcare delivery, which aligns with Target 3.4.

      • Indicator 3.4.1: Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease

      The article does not directly mention mortality rates, but it provides information on the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors, which can be used as an indicator to measure progress towards Target 3.4.

      • Indicator 3.4.2: Suicide mortality rate

      The article does not mention suicide mortality rates.

      • Indicator 3.4.3: Proportion of population with access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation

      The article does not mention access to drinking water and sanitation.

   Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

   SDGs	Targets	Indicators
   SDG 1: No Poverty	Target 1.1: By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere	Indicator 1.1.1: Proportion of population living below the international poverty line
   SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being	Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being	Indicator 3.4.1: Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease

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   Source: news-medical.net

    

   

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