Socio-Spatial Differences in the Prevalence of Lifestyles Risk Factors Related to Chronic Diseases in Argentina from 2005 to 2013

Abstract

Diverse modifiable factors seem to be involved in the etiology of different non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. These pathologies are complex in nature, and their prevalence, incidence, and mortality rates are strongly related to social, cultural, and socioeconomic determinants. The occurrence of NCDs is closely related to four main modifiable risk factors: tobacco use, physical inactivity, the harmful use of alcohol, and an unhealthy diet, all of them characteristic of current societies and their lifestyle in this century. Besides, certain authors propose a structural approach where poverty and differences in income have been indicated as the main drivers of premature deaths from chronic diseases. Specifically, it has been reported that, in Argentina, geographic differences in terms of urban scale and socioeconomic conditions could explain the inequities in the prevalent NCD mortality burden, which in effect, are distributed unequally between social groups and geographic regions. In this chapter, an analysis of the geographical distribution of the prevalence of some of the main chronic diseases and their risk factors linked to lifestyles in Argentina is proposed. The prevalence of arterial hypertension, diabetes, and obesity by sex and, in addition, specific risk factors (smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and sedentary lifestyle) were used for the construction of maps. Data were obtained from the first, second, and third National Survey of Risk Factors carried out during the years 2005, 2009, and 2013 by the National Health Ministry. These indicators were used to construct prevalence maps for each of the years studied and by sex at the provincial scale. Various socioeconomic indicators were also overlapping through symbols proportional to their magnitude. The main indicator used was the socioeconomic level index. Additionally, the percentage of households with at least one unsatisfied basic necessity (as an indicator of structural poverty) and of the population without complete primary studies were also represented. The study of the territorial differences in the prevalence of several of the main NCDs in Argentina and their most recognized conditioning factors contributes to the knowledge of local realities when contemplating the contextual socioeconomic scenarios of each of these spaces. This is essential and could be used as grounds when designing specific strategies to address individual and structural health threats in our population.