P203 IMPACT OF IMPLEMENTING A COMMUNITY CARE STRATEGY TO REDUCE THE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN SANTANDER, COLOMBIA: PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE RE-HOPE STUDY

Background: Hypertension is the main risk factor of cardiovascular disease (CVD), affecting 1.28 billion adults and resulting in 1.16 million deaths. In Colombia, hypertension affected 7.8 million adults in 2019. Different sociocultural and health system-related barriers may interfere with hypertension management. Our aim was to determine the preliminary impact of this community-based strategy on the changes in hypertension control in Colombia. Methods The Re-Hope study is a community-based strategy to reduce CVD risk in 13 municipalities of Santander, Colombia. Nursing assistants referred patients to the cardiovascular risk program (CVRP), facilitated medical appointments, and provided health counseling. A longitudinal analysis was conducted on data from the first three follow-up visits. Included were adults >18 years with hypertension not enrolled in the CVRP. Standardized questionnaires gathered sociodemographic, medication, and lifestyle data. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were taken. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP >140 mmHg, diastolic BP >90 mmHg, self-reported hypertension, or antihypertensive medication use. Pharmacological adherence was assessed with the Morisky 4-item scale. Tobacco and alcohol use were categorized as never or current consumers. Blood pressure changes were evaluated with a paired t-test, and categorical variable changes with McNemar and Stuart-Maxwell tests. Analysis was done using Stata software. Results A total of 2,585 participants were included. The mean age was 65.1 years (SD 11.9) and 64.3% were women. After 6 months of follow-up, the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure reduced 17.03 mmHg (SD 17.95) and 7.04 mmHg (SD 11.22), respectively. Hypertension control increased on 11.7%. Antihypertensive combination therapy increased by 4.4% for dual therapy and 4.6% for triple therapy. The low pharmacological adherence was reduced by 3.35%. Conclusions The implementation of a community-based care strategy in Santander at the first three visits achieved a relevant reduction of hypertension values and greater use of combined antihypertensive therapy. Continuation of the study is required to identify the total results.