Global health. The current scenario and future perspectives

154 Globally, in 2014, the WHO estimated a diabetes prevalence of 8.5% (WHO, 2016), and in 2019, the International Diabetes Federation estimated it at 9.3%. The majority of these individuals (79.4%) live in low- and middle- income countries. In the Americas region, prevalence is estimated at 9.5% in Central and South America and 13.3% in North America and the Caribbean (International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 2021). Cardiovascular diseases Cardiovascular diseases are a group of pathologies that represent the leading cause of mortality in Chile. These include ischemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases and hypertensive disease. The latter is closely related to excessive sodium consumption (Rust & Ekmekcioglu, 2017). In Chile, the 2016-17 national health survey showed that the average daily salt intake per person was 9.4 grams, which is double the amount recommended by the WHO. The prevalence of hypertension was 27.6%, with a higher prevalence in individuals with lower educational levels (51% in those with less than 8 years versus 15% in those with more than 12 years of education) (Ministerio de Salud de Chile, 2018). Hypertensive disease is itself a risk factor for ischemic heart diseases and cerebrovascular disease (American Medical Association, 2001; Cecchini et al., 2010). The WHO estimates that 1.13 billion people worldwide suffer from hypertension, 1 out of every 4 men and 1 out of every 5 women (WHO, 2021a). In a study conducted in 2014 with data from 135 countries, a prevalence of 31.6% in men and 25.3% in women was estimated in high- income countries, while in middle- and low-income countries, the prevalences were 31.7% and 31.2% in men and women, respectively. In Latin America and the Caribbean, prevalence was 30.4% for men and 32.7% for women (Mills et al., 2016). Cerebrovascular diseases and myocardial infarction are also associated with high cholesterol levels resulting from a diet high in trans and saturated fats, as well as the condition of overweight or obesity (Cecchini et al., 2010). In turn, consumption of fruits, vegetables, dietary fiber and dairy products has been described as a protective factor for this group of diseases (Tong et al., 2020). In Chile, the prevalence of elevated cholesterol in the last national health survey was 27.6% (Ministerio de Salud de Chile, 2017). The same survey shows that self-reported acute myocardial infarction was 3.3% (3.8% for men and 2.8% for women) and 10% in the population aged 65 and older. For cerebrovascular disease (stroke or thrombosis), a prevalence of 2.6% was reported among the population aged 15 and older and of 8.2% in the population aged 65 and older (Ministerio de Salud de Chile, 2017).