Male involvement in cardiovascular preventive healthcare in two rural Costa Rican communities.
BACKGROUND
Gender differences in health system usage can lead to differences in the incidence of morbidity and mortality. We conducted a pilot screening targeted towards men to evaluate gender differences in cardiovascular disease risk factor detection and time since last clinic visit.


METHODS
Three evening sessions in two communities screened 148 people, mean age 47.7 years. Height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, blood glucose, and total cholesterol were measured. A questionnaire on past medical history was administered. Participants with elevated measurements were referred to appropriate care.


RESULTS
Men accounted for 60.1% of those screened; 65.5% of the group was overweight, and 22.3% was obese with 42.6% hypertension, 39.2% hypercholesterolemia, and 2.7% high blood glucose. Among men aged 35 to 65, 65.2% were overweight, 20.3% obese, 46.4% hypertensive, 42.0% hypercholesterolemic, and 1.5% with high blood glucose. Within the last 2 years, 53.3% of men and 9.1% of women aged 35 to 65 had not visited a doctor (P = 0.004).


CONCLUSIONS
A significant portion of those screened had elevated cardiovascular disease risk factors. Given that men visited doctors significantly less frequently, efforts to involve men in prevention of cardiovascular disease within these communities are warranted.
Goldhaber-Fiebert
Jeremy D
JD
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. jgoldhab@hsph.harvard.edu
Goldhaber-Fiebert
Sara N
SN
Andorsky
David J
DJ
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003364:Costa Rica; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000639:trends*; D011634:Public Health; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors