• Juli Goldstein, Enrique Jacoby, Roberto del Aguila, and Augusto Lopez.
• Johns Hopkins University, School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205-2179, USA. julig4@yahoo.com
• Prev Med. 2005 Sep 1; 41 (3-4): 800-6.

BackgroundRapid health and nutrition transitional changes are resulting in greater prominence of non-communicable disease (NCD) in Latin America, particularly among the poor.ObjectiveThe study aims to examine the extent to which NCD pxfsrevails in Peru and the socioeconomic status (SES) as a risk factor.DesignBetween 1998 and 2000, health surveys and clinical assessments were completed on 2337 adults in six cities, 18 to 60 years of age. Stratified by social class, multi-staged random sampling was used. Anthropometric data, blood pressure and serum samples were collected.ResultsAdjusting for age, hypertension, low HDL cholesterol, high total cholesterol and diabetes was found in 47%, 40%, 21% and 17% of women and in 44%, 38%, 27% and 19% of men, respectively. Over one quarter of the population exhibited multiple risk factors, not including overweight and obesity. Across all study sites, lowest SES revealed highest burden of NCD and appeared as an independent risk factor for associated NCD indicators.ConclusionThe high prevalence of NCD in urban areas of Peru is not only associated with excess body weight, but also with poverty itself. The greater burden of NCD in the poorest areas of society requires a better understanding of causal determinants and may have implications in terms of public health policies and interventions.

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