Comprehensive Evaluation of the Impact of Sociodemographic Inequalities on Adverse Outcomes and Excess Mortality During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic in Mexico City.

BACKGROUND: The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Mexico City has been sharp, as several social inequalities at all levels coexist. Here we conducted an in-depth evaluation of the impact of individual and municipal-level social inequalities on the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico City. METHODS: We analyzed suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cases, from the Mexico City Epidemiological Surveillance System from 24 February 2020 to 31 March 2021. COVID-19 outcomes included rates of hospitalization, severe COVID-19, invasive mechanical ventilation, and mortality. We evaluated socioeconomic occupation as an individual risk, and social lag, which captures municipal-level social vulnerability, and urban population density as proxies of structural risk factors. Impact of reductions in vehicular mobility on COVID-19 rates and the influence of risk factors were also assessed. Finally, we assessed discrepancies in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 excess mortality using death certificates from the general civil registry. RESULTS: We detected vulnerable groups who belonged to economically unfavored sectors and experienced increased risk of COVID-19 outcomes. Cases living in marginalized municipalities with high population density experienced greater risk for COVID-19 outcomes. Additionally, policies to reduce vehicular mobility had differential impacts modified by social lag and urban population density. Finally, we report an under-registry of COVID-19 deaths along with an excess mortality closely related to marginalized and densely populated communities in an ambulatory setting. This could be attributable to a negative impact of modified hospital admission criteria during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic occupation and municipality-wide factors played a significant role in shaping the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico City.

Food Insecurity Is Associated with the Quality of Diet of Non-Institutionalized Older Adults from a Southern Chilean Commune: A Cross-Sectional Study.

As the population ages, greater attention to age-related health problems related to diet and lifestyles is needed. Here, we sought to evaluate the associations between demographic and clinical characteristics and food insecurity with the quality of diet of non-institutionalized elderly from a southern Chilean commune. We performed an analytical cross-sectional study in a sample of 376 older adults. Nutritional status was evaluated through anthropometric measurements. Quality of diet was determined by the healthy eating index (HEI), obtained through the frequency of consumption questionnaire. Socioeconomic, demographic, and lifestyle variables were also collected. Ordinal logistic and Poisson regression models were applied to study associations with quality of diet. The sample consisted of more women (81.6%) than men (18.4%). Most older adults were found to live in a situation of vulnerability or poverty (82.4%), with most having food security (65.7%). According to the HEI, only 14.1% had a good quality of diet, 83.8% had diet in need of improvement, and 2.1% had an unhealthy diet. There was an association of food insecurity and cardiovascular risk (according to waist circumference) with lower quality of diet categories. However, an association with the unhealthy quality of diet category was not confirmed with Poisson regression analysis, which was possibly due to the low number of subjects in that category (n = 8, 2.1%). Other modifiable factors like physical activity, hours of sleep, and polypharmacy were not associated with lower quality of diet categories. Socioeconomic status, which is a structural health determinant, was not associated with decreased quality of diet. Since this was a cross-sectional study performed on a small sample from a Chilean commune, directionality of associations cannot be discerned, and future longitudinal studies could aim to better characterize these associations in larger samples of elderly patients.

Índice cintura-talla: prueba para valoración de riesgo cardiovascular y diagnóstico del síndrome metabólico / Waist-Length Index: Test for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment and Diagnosis of Metabolic Syndrome

Introducción: la presencia de síndrome metabólico y enfermedad cardiovascular está vinculada fisiopatológicamente con el sobrepeso y obesidad. Objetivo: evaluar la utilidad y precisión del Índice cintura-talla en la valoración de riesgo y diagnóstico del síndrome metabólico y otras alteraciones cardiometabólicas. Métodos: se evaluaron a adultos jóvenes aparentemente sanos para su implementación como una prueba diagnóstica o tamiz diagnóstico de rutina en los niveles primarios de atención en salud. Se realizó un estudio transversal con una muestra de 369 adultos jóvenes con edad de 18-22 años del primer año de la licenciatura de medicina en la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Se determinaron parámetros bioquímicos y antropométricos para la presencia de síndrome metabólico y otras alteraciones cardiovasculares, se calculó el Índice cintura-talla y se generaron cuartiles para proponer un punto de corte con el cual se pueda valorar el riesgo y la utilidad diagnóstica. Resultados: el Índice cintura-talla mostró ser una prueba diagnóstica bastante sensible (91 por ciento, 70 por ciento y 52 por ciento) y específica (78 por ciento, 78 por ciento, 76 por ciento) en la detección de síndrome metabólico, alteraciones cardiovasculares y aterogénicas respectivamente. Los valores predictivos muestran la probabilidad del 81 por ciento de tener síndrome metabólico si el individuo cuenta con un Índice cintura-talla elevado y una probabilidad 90 por ciento de no tener síndrome metabólico si el Índice cintura-talla es normal. Conclusiones: la precisión diagnóstica del Índice cintura-talla es muy elevada, por lo que puede usarse como un tamiz diagnóstico de síndrome metabólico o de alteraciones metabólicas en adultos jóvenes aparentemente sanos(AU)

Introduction: The presence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and cadiovascular disease (CVD) is physiopathologically linked to overweight and obesity. Objective: Evaluate the usefulness and accuracy of the waist-length index (CTI) in the assessment of risk and diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome and other cardiometabolic disorders. Methods: Apparently healthy young adults were evaluated for their implementation as a diagnostic test or screening routine at the primary levels of health care. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 369 young adults aged 18-22 years of the first year of the medical degree at the Benemérita Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP). Biochemical and anthropometric parameters were determined for the presence of metabolic syndrome and other cardiovascular alterations, the waist-height index was calculated and quartiles were generated to propose a cut-off point with which the risk and diagnostic utility could be assessed. Results: The waist-height index showed to be a very sensitive (91 percent, 70 percent and 52 percent) and specific (78 percent, 76 percent) diagnostic test in the detection of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular and atherogenic alterations, respectively. The predictive values showed 81 percent probability of having metabolic syndrome if the subject has a high waist-height index and 90 percent chance of not having metabolic syndrome if the waist-height index is normal. Conclusions: The diagnostic accuracy of the waist-length index is very high, so it can be used as a diagnostic screen for metabolic syndrome or metabolic alterations in apparently healthy young adults(AU)