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Abstract #164043

Chandra L. Jackson, MSc, Epidemiology Department, Harvard School of Public Health, Vanderbilt Box 180, 107 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115-5750, (404) 808-1210, cjackson@jhsph.edu and Javiera L. Martelli, MD, Medical Residency Program in Family Medicine, Universidad Catholica de Chile, Av. Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 340, Santiago, 340, Chile.

Background: There is a great need for effective interventions to curb the increasing prevalence of cardiovascular disease in many Latin-American countries, and investigating the health effects of neighborhood characteristics is a promising avenue.

Methods: We conducted a pilot study of urban and rural low-income neighborhood perceptions in Santiago, Chile by recruiting participants from two public health centers. Between neighborhood differences in indicators of cardiovascular health were also explored.

Results: Of the 52 participants, 69% were female, the mean age was 38 years, the mean monthly income was $350, most had less than a high school education, and 52% lived in an urban neighborhood. Seventy-four percent reported crowding in their neighborhood, 56% had inadequate access to public transportation and approximately the same reported the presence of trash/litter. Eighty-two percent of the participants had stray animals in their neighborhood, a little over half reported violence, and almost one-third reported crime. Although there were no differences in body mass index, blood pressure, and waist-hip circumference between urban and rural neighborhoods, there were significant differences in neighborhood characteristics shown to impact cardiovascular health. Furthermore, 71% of the participants had fair/poor self-reported health, and both neighborhoods had good social capital.

Conclusion: These data demonstrate that neighborhood characteristics shown to impact cardiovascular health differ between urban and rural environments. To implement neighborhood-level interventions that improve the cardiovascular health profile of individuals, more rigorous research is needed.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe neighborhood perceptions of the physical and social environment and how they relate to cardiovascular health in Chile.
• Recognize how these neighborhood perceptions and their effects on health may differ between urban and rural neighborhoods.
• Apply knowledge of neighborhood effects research to other urban and/or rural settings world-wide.
• Develop a plan for future research at the community-level.

Keywords: Community Research, Chronic Diseases

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.