Behavioral Interventions Reduce Heart Disease Risk

Counseling, extended follow-up with a healthcare provider and diet and exercise combined is the best way to help patients lower their risk for cardiovascular disease, according to a scientific statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

“We need to do a better job finding ways to help people not only change their behaviors, but maintain them over a lifetime,” says Nancy T. Artinian, PhD, RN, professor and associate dean for research and director of the Center for Health Research at Wayne State University College of Nursing in Detroit, Michigan. “As healthcare providers, we’re pretty good at saying that you are at risk for a disease, you need to lose weight, be more physically active, and eat more fruits and vegetables. While that’s easy to say, it’s not easy for the person to actually translate it into their everyday life,” she adds.

The authors analyzed 74 studies conducted among U.S. adults between January 1997 and May 2007. The studies measured the effects of behavioral change on blood pressure and cholesterol levels; physical activity and aerobic fitness; and diet.

“Lifestyle change is never easy and often under-emphasized in clinical encounters with our patients. This statement shows what types of programs work and supports the increased need for counseling and goal setting to improve healthy cardiovascular habits,” says Ralph Sacco, MD, president of the American Heart Association. “We need to find more effective ways to make lifestyle change programs available, especially to the groups at highest risk for cardiovascular diseases—older Americans, African Americans, and people of Hispanic origin.”

Sacco adds that the first step is to know your health status, “because a lot of people don’t realize they’re at risk for heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association’s My Life Check can help identify your risk level and offers simple steps to get started on the path to ideal cardiovascular health.”

Source: George Brakatselos