Study 7500 inhabitants of Molina will allow to meet all Chileans health

• Preliminary results of project MAUCO, they will be presented on 22 November:
• Third year of research in the area, It is developed by the Centre for advanced chronic diseases, ACCDIS.
• "We have had a high participation and citizen involvement. Thanks to this, We can calculate the risks of problems and serious events for Chileans health with own data", said Dr. Catterina Ferreccio, Project Director.
• Researchers from MAUCO made annual presentation to the community, at Teatro Municipal de Molina. Day will be headed by the Mayor Priscilla Castillo.

Thanks to 7500 residents in the region of the Maule region and the city of Molina, an x-ray of the Chileans health is under construction, that will allow to learn how develop chronic diseases that today affect our population. For the third consecutive year, men and women aged 38 to 74 of this commune, they are actively participating in the epidemiological study MAUCO, developed by the Centre for advanced chronic diseases, ACCDiS .

The inhabitants of Molina, It has been examined by a multiprofessional team, with that consider measurements of: size, circumference of waist, neck and ankles, electrocardiogram, abdominal ultrasound, neurocognitive tests, medical history, condition and physical strength, muscular State, fat percentage, and measurements of blood, among other indicators including psychosocial aspects and environmental.

"We have had a high participation and commitment of the population of Molina. Thanks to this, We know what the safe blood sugar and blood pressure level, and calculate the risks of diseases and serious events such as hospitalization or death for anyone in Chile, based on the data we are collecting", said Dr. Catterina Ferreccio, Director of MAUCO project and Deputy Director of ACCDiS.

"MAUCO, community and health"

The preliminary results and progress of this study, they will be presented on Wednesday, November 22, at 3 p.m., in the Teatro Municipal of Molina. This, in the framework of the Conference "MAUCO, community and health", directed to neighbors, professionals and authorities of the commune. The activity will be headed by the Mayor of Molina, Priscilla Castillo and with the participation of the Dra. Ferreccio, who will release some results of research corresponding to the baseline data. In both, the doctors of ACCDIS, Claudia Bambs and Andrea Huidobro, they will be holding a talk on cardiovascular health and healthy eating, respectively, aimed at improving the quality of life in the population.

During the day, also addressed the issue of domestic violence, topic of great interest for the residents of Molina. Viviana Rivas, social worker, It refers to its definition and manifestations, While the lawyer Rocío Lorca, analyze legal aspects of this issue. "We want to make Molina into a true Center of national surveillance in health. But in addition, We have established a link with the community and in this context, This year we will include these topics which themselves have asked us to address, as a priority. This activity will be Chairmen of the boards of neighbors, around a hundred participants of the cohort, authorities and researchers, among others", said Dr. Catterina Ferreccio.

Baseline data of the study

It has been more than 31 months of intense work Molina with the community. Still need to continue adding new participants, mainly males, that so far it corresponds to 40% of the total number of cohort. The goal, He is studying ten thousand inhabitants of the area and analyze in depth the different variables that are contributing to the development of chronic diseases. This year, was also the first control on population health, approximately to 3 thousand participants. This, to analyze changes in your health, style of life, weight, among other indicators.

"Within results, one of the concerns is still positive energy balance. This means, that the community consumes more calories than you spend, for the most part, from food that is unhealthy. For this reason, people accumulate fat that is not of good quality and then there is a picture of metabolic chronic inflammation, favouring the development of diabetes and hypertension, among other relevant health problems", says the Dra. Ferreccio.

In relation to the baseline data, obtained through surveys, test and various tests, It was determined that 92% of the population in Molina does physical activity or has very low activity, According to the standards of measurement. "It's a very high rate of physical inactivity. But this could change, If each person perform half an hour a day of walking", designates the Director MAUCO.

Respiratory problems, Digestive and oral health

Another issue that caught the attention of researchers, It is that 48% of the population was suffering from breathing problems, While only 5% of them, they perceived the symptoms. "The cohort population smokes less than the Santiago, for example, but they have smoke of firewood and land pollution. So we are studying these factors and probably, in the coming months, we can begin to publish some results about it".

On the other hand, 70% of respondents reported having some type of digestive discomfort, figure was also considered high by scientists and physicians of MAUCO. "Digestive problems are enough individuals in this population but also correspond to a common symptomatology in Chile, that it may be related to diet and alcohol consumption. This is worrisome, Since it predisposes to the development of vesicular diseases, reflux, fatty liver, lithiasis, obesity and chronic diseases", says ACCDiS researcher and academic of the Catholic University of Chile. The Professional also highlights the high consumption of sugars in the population and the intake of sugary drinks by 22% of respondents.

In this context, also found that 29% of the cohort has or have gallbladder problems, including any type of surgery in this body. This is relevant to the Dra. Ferreccio, Since Chile is one of the countries with the highest rate of cancer of gallbladder in the world.

The study also showed that, to date, they have hospitalized 358 people from the cohort - on one or more occasions- and that have already died 49 participants, what constitutes a high rate, According to the Dra. Ferreccio. In the dental field, was established that the average number of teeth in the population is 18,8, less than that estimated as a minimum for a good chewing: 20 teeth. This topic gave rise to a new line of research in MAUCO, that relates the oral health with chronic diseases.

Also in the field of health, It was determined that 86% of the population belongs to the public system. Also, was collated that women perceive more health problems than men, including such as depression mood disorders, that it reaches 10% in women, While in men, 3%.

In relation to most social issues, It explained that both men and women the schooling is low, averaging a 8,8 years, one figure slightly lower than the national average. The baseline data also indicate that 50% of the population is occupationally occupied and that 48% of this, sometime in his life worked in the agricultural sector.

Improving public health

Cancer and cardiovascular diseases, they are chronic diseases that, altogether, affecting 60% of the Chilean population, constituting also the two leading causes of death in the country. Before such a scenario, hundred and eighty scientists from the University of Chile (UCH) and the Catholic University of Chile (PUC), they have formed the Center for advanced chronic diseases, ACCDiS , entity directed by Dr. Sergio Lavandero, in order to investigate the origins of these pathologies, and design diagnostic tools and therapies designed to generate a positive impact on health.

In this context, the results of MAUCO will be getting, they hope to contribute to the improvement of public policies in health, contributions that could be useful both in Chile and around the world. (By: Carolina Todorovic. Agency Ines Llambias communications).