Cardiovascular disease is the leading risk factor for morbidity and mortality rates in Chile and the world. The Chilean National Health Survey, which describes cardiovascular disease nationally, excludes 27 locations deemed hard to access or insular, like the Juan Fernández Archipelago. Characterization of this territory could support future public health policies.
Aim: To characterize the biosocial profile of the population enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Program (CHP) of the Juan Fernández archipelago and then compare them to the national dataset.
Methods: A retrospective, descriptive, and longitudinal study using data collected from 269 patients over 15 years enrolled in the Juan Fernández CHP until March 31, 2022. Prevalence of cardiovascular disease and risk factors were obtained by reviewing a sheet database provided by the Juan Fernández Rural Health Care Center. They were contrasted to the latest national health survey, using the Z Test to determine statistical significance.
Results: We found significantly lower prevalences for hypertension (20.4% vs 27.6%), tobacco use (8.5% vs 33.3%), overweight (10% vs 39.8%), obesity (13% vs 31.2%), and myocardial infarction (0.7% vs 3.2%). Chronic kidney disease presents at earliest stages than national data.
Conclusions: We observed a better cardiovascular profile in the Juan Fernández Archipelago than nationwide. These findings not only provide a basis for future public health actions but also inspire and motivate new lines of research that can bring context to these results and further our understanding of cardiovascular health.