title: [Morbidity in postmenopausal women with poverty].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Less favored social classes usually have more unhealthy life-styles and a more difficult access to Health Resources.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the possible association between poverty and some common diseases, in a population of postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred and forty nine poor women aged 56 +/- 12 years and 776 consecutive women aged 53 +/- 12 years, answered a personal interview about their lifestyles and medications used. Their medical records were reviewed and they were subjected to a complete physical examination, including weight and height measurement. A fasting blood sample was also obtained. Poverty was defined according to criteria of the Spanish National Institute of Statistics that is based on the income in Euros and the number of family members that share such income.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A higher proportion of poor women live in rural areas. They were shorter, had a higher weight and thus a higher body mass index, smoked less and drank less alcohol than their non-poor counterparts drink. The consumption of caffeine, the actual calcium intake and the physical activity during leisure time was similar in both groups. Compared with their counterparts, poor women had a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus (15.9 and 10.1% respectively, p = < 0.01), obesity (44.2 and 24.3% respectively, p < 0.01) hypertension (24.3 and 16.4%o respectively, p<0.01) and autoimmune rheumatic diseases (7.8 and 4.8% > respectively, p = 0.03). A multiple logistic regression model showed that obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, alcohol consumption and living in rural areas, were independently associated to poverty.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Poor postmenopausal women have a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, obesity, autoimmune rheumatic diseases and hypertension and lower frequency of smoking and alcohol consumption than their affluent counterparts do.
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria.
authors.forename: Mary Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saavedra
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: DE Miguel
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonet de La N
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sosa
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D004813:Epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008019:Life Style; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D017698:Postmenopause; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology