Introduction
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the commonest cause of death across the globe; incidence
and prevalence rates are increasing. Together, CVD and diabetes mellitus are responsible
for a quarter of the health gap observed between Aboriginal Australians and Torres
Strait Islanders, and non-Indigenous Australians. Numerous programs have been proposed
and implemented to Close the Gap; ideally, these should be evidence-based.
Objective
The aim of this review is to evaluate primary prevention measures and programs that
aim to reduce CVD risk in minority Indigenous populations around the world.
Methods
A search of PubMed, the Cochrane Library and the Elsevier Scopus Database was initially
conducted using the terms “cardiovascular disease”, “population groups”, “primary
prevention”, "health services, indigenous”, "indigenous health", "risk assessment"
and “risk management”. Results were then assessed per inclusion/exclusion criteria.
A second reviewer independently evaluated the publications and review process to ensure
agreement.
Results
The initial search produced 37 publications; 19 met the inclusion criteria and were
incorporated into a comparative table. Most were descriptive, mixed-methods, audit
or intervention studies. Heterogeneity of study design prevented statistical analysis.
Conclusion
Addressing CVD risk in minority Indigenous populations is a multifactorial challenge;
there is substantial room for improvement in routine risk assessment and management.
Holistic approaches need to embrace local cultural perceptions of health and wellbeing.
Validated risk reduction tools, individualised management plans, polypills and computer
based decision support tools are promising to improve outcomes for those at risk.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 01, 2019
Accepted:
June 18,
2019
Received in revised form:
May 7,
2019
Received:
February 22,
2019
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
