Chronic Diseases and Associated Risk Factors Among Adults in Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Disaster Medicine

Background:

• Public health emergencies necessitate understanding disaster impacts on physical and mental health.
• Data on Hurricane Maria's influence on adult disease burden in Puerto Rico is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the prevalence of chronic diseases and associated risk factors in Puerto Rico adults before and after Hurricane Maria (2017).

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study utilizing data from pre-hurricane (PRADLAD, 2015) and post-hurricane (PROSPECT, 2019) cohorts.
• Inclusion of adults aged 30-75 residing in Puerto Rico.
• Analysis of self-reported sociodemographic, lifestyle, psychosocial factors, and medically diagnosed conditions.

Main Results:

• Post-hurricane (2019) showed increased abdominal obesity, sedentarism, binge drinking, hypertension, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, arthritis, eye disease, fatty liver disease, and osteoporosis compared to pre-hurricane (2015).
• Psychosocial factors indicated lower depressive symptoms and perceived stress post-hurricane, but higher social support.
• Sociodemographic variables were largely similar, with higher income and employment observed post-hurricane.

Conclusions:

• A higher prevalence of unhealthy behaviors and chronic conditions was observed in Puerto Rico adults after Hurricane Maria.
• While psychosocial factors showed some improvement, they require continued attention.
• Continuous health outcome surveillance and promotion of healthy behaviors are vital, especially for high-risk populations facing intensifying natural disasters.