Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Mexican Women

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women. Cardiovascular risk in women is influenced not only by traditional risk factors, but also by sex-specific factors and social determinants of health. However, information on the distribution and relative importance of these factors among Mexican women remains limited. REFARCAM Mx is a multicenter, observational, cross-sectional registry designed to estimate the prevalence and describe the distribution of traditional, sex-specific, and emerging cardiovascular risk factors, as well as social determinants of health, among adult female beneficiaries of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) receiving care at participating medical units in Mexico. Approximately 3,000 women aged 18 years or older will be enrolled across 36 IMSS medical units representing the three levels of healthcare. Participants will complete the validated REFARCAM Mx questionnaire administered by trained personnel using a secure digital platform. Clinical and anthropometric information, including blood pressure, weight, height, and heart rate, will also be collected, and available clinical information will be verified using the institutional medical record. In women aged 40 to 74 years, cardiovascular risk will be estimated using the HEARTS for the Americas cardiovascular risk calculator. The collected information will be used to characterize cardiovascular risk in women receiving care at participating IMSS centers and to explore factors associated with previous cardiovascular events. Statistical analyses will include conventional multivariable methods and machine-learning approaches to identify relevant patterns and predictors of cardiovascular risk.