1. A Rapid Assessment Study on the Implementation of a Core Set of Interventions to Improve Cardiovascular Health in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Author
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Marcia C. Barbosa, Anselm Hennis, Pedro Ordunez, Valerie Mize, and Branka Legetic
- Subjects
Community and Home Care ,Latin Americans ,Epidemiology ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Psychological intervention ,Declaration ,Public policy ,Health Promotion ,Quality Improvement ,Risk Assessment ,Health promotion ,Latin America ,Caribbean Region ,Cardiovascular Diseases ,Environmental health ,Medicine ,Humans ,Disease management (health) ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,business ,Risk assessment ,Health policy ,Quality of Health Care - Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause ofdeathintheAmericaswith1.6milliondeathsperyear,halfamillion of which occur before age 70 years. CVD (Interna-tional Classification of DiseaseseTenth Revision, I00eI99)represent 38% of all causes of death in the region [1].Although mortality due to CVD in the region declined at arate of 1.9% per year from 2000 to 2010, low- income andmedium-income countries, compared with high-incomecountries, had an excess of CVD mortality of 56.7% and20.6%, respectively [2].The 2013 World Health Assembly, in response to the2011 U.N. political declaration on noncommunicable dis-eases (NCD), established a goal of 25% reduction in pre-mature mortality due to 4 major NCD by 2025 (25 25goal). These NCD are CVD, cancer, diabetes, and chronicrespiratory diseases. Achieving a reduction of this magni-tude will depend primarily on successes in the preventionand control of CVD.The2010regionalconsultationoncardiovascularhealth(CVHregionalconsultation)ledbythePanAmericanHealthOrganization (PAHO) established a list of priority in-terventions to improve CVH in the Americas. The list, pre-pared before the U.N.’s 2011 high-level meeting on NCD,serves as a road map for the region beyond that importantevent. A regional expert group, including PAHO technicaladvisors, representatives of health ministries, professionalsocieties, academic institutions, and several nongovern-mentalorganizations,definedasetofinterventionsaround4main areas: 1) public policy and advocacy; 2) health pro-motion; 3) surveillance; and 4) disease management andintegrated control for risk factors [3].Much progress has been made by PAHO’s memberstates since the CVH regional consultation [4]. Although4 years is a relatively short time to fully implement acomprehensive package of interventions, it may be anappropriate interval to assess progress and make neces-sary course corrections. It is unlikely that progress willoccur at the same rate among all countries. Our aim is toinvestigate the state of implementation of the core set ofinterventions recommended by the 2010 CVH regionalconsultation.
- Published
- 2015