Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Latin America, and cardiometabolic risk factors such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease continue to rise across the region. Early prevention and timely intervention can substantially reduce the burden of Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) disease, yet opportunities for prevention are often missed due to gaps in health literacy, education, and awareness. These challenges remain important barriers to timely prevention, risk-factor management, and access to care.

To address this challenge, Dr. Paul Schmiedmayer, PhD, Instructor in the Division of Computational Medicine, Department of Medicine, and Dr. Fatima Rodriguez, MD, MPH, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Section Chief of Preventive Cardiology, and Associate Director of the Center for Digital Health, are leading a study on health literacy and information needs in CKM care.

The study aims to assess the health literacy of individuals with CKM risk factors and identify key informational needs and barriers that affect health communication. Using validated assessment instruments and semi-structured interviews, the research will examine how individuals understand, access, and use health information related to CKM prevention and management within local healthcare and community settings.

This project has the potential to improve health communication strategies while contributing to broader efforts to advance health equity and healthcare quality across Latin America and beyond. Insights from the study may help inform future educational and digital health interventions designed to support prevention and patient engagement in CKM care.

“Global health equity is central to this project,” said Schmiedmayer. “By partnering with clinicians and community partners and engaging students with Latin American backgrounds, we aim to ensure that the research reflects local needs while helping shape digital health and AI-assisted approaches that improve health literacy, patient engagement, and access to trustworthy health information.”

Principal Investigators:

Paul Schmiedmayer, PhD, Instructor at the Division of Computational Medicine, Department of Medicine

Fatima Rodriguez, MD, MPH, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Vice Chair for Clinical Research, Section Chief of Preventive Cardiology and Associate Director of the Center for Digital Health at Stanford University

Research Team:

Camila Quintero, Visiting Researcher in the Division of Computational Medicine and a Master’s student in Management and Computer Engineering at the Technical University of Munich. She will lead partnership coordination and needs assessment activities across Latin America

Funders:

Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health

Stanford Cardiovascular Institute