Lifestyle – ABC CARDIOL

IJCS

Editorial

Reflections on the Effectiveness of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Programs in Corporate Settings

The International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences (IJCS) publishes in this issue the original article entitled “Comparison Between Two Prevention and Control Programs for Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Diseases in an Oil Company.” This study, framed within the field of Epidemiology, addresses a question of growing relevance for public and occupational health: the effectiveness of different intervention strategies to mitigate cardiovascular risk in a specific work environment.

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally,^– and the workplace represents a crucial area for prevention and control strategies. Workers spend a significant portion of their lives at work, and occupational factors such as stress, sedentary behavior associated with certain roles, and exposure to shifts can directly influence cardiovascular risk.^, As CVDs continue to pose a significant global health concern, analyzing interventions aimed at mitigating them in corporate environments is more relevant than ever.

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IJCS

Original Article

The Challenges of Implementing a Text Message Intervention to Promote Behavioral Change in Primary Care Patients With Hypertension and Diabetes

João Antonio de Queiroz Oliveira et al. Christiane Cimini Vania Almeida Junia Xavier Maia … Raissa Eda Resende Leticia Alves Gualberto Pedro Henrique Lauar Santos Paulo R. Gomes Leonardo Bonisson Maria Cristina Paixão Janaina Moutinho Costa Clareci Silva Cardoso Karla Santo Antonio Ribeiro Maria Auxiliadora Martins Milena S. Marcolino

Abstract

Background

Controlling blood pressure and glycemic levels is a challenge that requires innovative solutions.

Objective

To assess the feasibility of implementing a text message intervention among low-income primary care patients, as well as to assess self-reported behavioral change.

Methods

A set of 200 text messages was developed on healthy eating, physical activity, adherence, and motivation. Participants from Vale do Mucuri, MG, Brazil diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension or undergoing screening for those diseases, received 5 to 8 messages per week for 6 months. They answered a questionnaire to report their satisfaction and behavioral changes.

Results

Of the 136 patients, 117 (86.0%) answered the questionnaire. Most reported that the messages were very useful (86.3%), easy to understand (90.6%), and were very helpful for behavioral change (65.0%); 84.6% reported that they had started eating healthier. The most frequent reported lifestyle changes were: improved diet quality (85.5%), reduced portions (65.8%), and weight loss (56.4%). The majority of patients shared the messages (60.7%) with family or other acquaintances, considered the number of messages to be adequate (89.7%) and would recommend the program to others (95.7%).

Conclusion

An intervention based on text messages to promote behavioral change in patients with hypertension or diabetes in primary care is feasible in low-resource settings. Future studies are needed to assess the program’s long-term effects on clinical outcomes.

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IJCS

Editorial

Small Exercise Breaks can Save your Brain from Prolonged Sitting

Eliza Prodel

A sedentary lifestyle is one of the major risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases. For instance, in 2019, stroke was the second-leading cause of death, as well as the primary cause of death and disability combined in the world. Active commuting to work is one strategy to decrease sedentary time and its impact, and the COVID-19 pandemic has changed work and daily routines worldwide. Moreover, the necessary social distancing has led to increased sedentary time, especially for those who are engaged in office desk work .

Acute prolonged sitting seems to lead to transient impairment of the endothelial function in the healthy population, whether this phenomenon is related to cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events is unknown. Nonetheless, prolonged sitting impairs the cerebrovascular function.^, Conversely, exercise breaks from prolonged sitting seem to restore the endothelial and cerebrovascular function. Therefore, active breaks from prolonged sitting could be a good strategy to mitigate the effects of sedentary time. However, the ideal duration and intensity need further investigation. Additionally, the difficulty to implement exercise breaks as a daily routine for office workers must be considered.

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IJCS

Editorial

Why is Physical Activity Important to Study in Childhood and Adolescence?

Klebia Castello Branco et al. Isabela de Carlos Back

One of the most important concerns of pediatrician in this pandemic/post-pandemic period is the damage caused by COVID-19 on children’s daily habits, especially physical activity. Children and teenagers were kept indoors during these 2 years, living their lives through digital interactions and becoming forcefully sedentary.

Studies conducted worldwide have shown that the average daily screen time of children and adolescents was greater than 2 hours a day, with the vast majority of them having a higher time than that recommended for any age.

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IJCS

Original Article

Lifestyle Intervention in Reducing Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Students with Dyslipidemia and Abdominal Obesity: A Randomized Study

Heloisa Pamplona-Cunha et al. Nilton Rosini Roberta Caetano Marcos José Machado Edson Luiz da Silva

Abstract

Background

The long incubation periods of cardiovascular diseases offer opportunities for controlling risk factors. In addition, preventive interventions in childhood are more likely to succeed because lifestyle habits become ingrained as they are repeated.

Objective

To investigate the effects of recreational physical activities, in combination or not with a qualitative nutritional counseling, in cardiometabolic risk factors of students with dyslipidemia and abdominal obesity.

Methods

Students (8-14 years old) were randomly divided into three groups (n=23 each): i ) Control; ii ) PANC, students undergoing Physical Activity and Nutritional Counseling, and iii ) PA, students submitted to Physical Activity, only. Blood samples (12-h fasting) were collected for biochemical analysis and anthropometric markers were also assessed. Two-Way RM-ANOVA and Holm-Sidak’s test, and Friedman ANOVA on Ranks and Dunn’s test were applied. P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Effect sizes were evaluated by Hedges’ g and Cliff’s δ for normal and non-Gaussian data, respectively.

Results

Compared to the control group and to baseline values, both interventions caused significant average reductions in total cholesterol (11%; p <0.001), LDL-c (19%; p=0.002), and non-HDL-c (19%; p=0.003). Furthermore, students in the PANC group also experienced a significant decrease in body fat compared to baseline (p=0.005) and to control (5.2%; g=0.541).

Conclusions

The proposed strategies were effective to reduce cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents. The low cost of these interventions allows the implementation of health care programs in schools to improve the students’ quality of life.

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Viewpoint

Physical Exercise, Energy Expenditure and Weight Loss: An Assumption not Always Observed in Practice

Vitor Barreto Paravidino et al. Mauro Felippe Felix Mediano Rosely Sichieri

The increased prevalence of overweight and obesity observed in recent decades has been attributed mainly to behavioral changes, such as excessive food consumption and reduction in physical activity level over time, leading to a positive energy balance. Due to the technological advances in recent years, less physical effort is required to perform daily tasks. Moreover, the lifestyle has become more sedentary, with an increasing amount of time spent using digital gadgets, such as computers, televisions and mobile phones. However, Westerterp & Speakman did not find a decrease in physical activity energy expenditure during the last 30 years preceding their study, despite an increase in the prevalence of obesity. Other studies have also reported that the total energy expenditure of rural populations was similar to that of populations living in developed countries, despite the clear difference in behavioral patterns, particularly in relation to daily physical activities.^– This study aimed at presenting the “compensatory effect” as a possible explanation for these findings. When there is an increase in physical activity at a given time, behavioral and metabolic changes take place to maintain an energy setpoint, as presented below.

Physical exercise has been recommended as an important component for the prevention and treatment of obesity. For substantial adults’ health benefits, at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise; in addition, 2-3 times per week of resistance training is recommended. However, for a clinically significant reduction in body weight, Donnelly et al., recommended that individuals should gradually increase the amount of physical activity and achieve a weekly volume of moderate physical exercise of over 250 minutes. The authors also reported a dose-response effect between physical activity and weight loss.

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IJCS

Original Article

Treatment Eligibility and Therapeutic Responses of an Ecuadorian Population at High Cardiovascular Risk Based on the ATP III Guidelines

Isabel Hernández et al. Andrea Estrella Jorge Salazar Yan Duarte … Edmundo Torres Camilo López Santiago Terán Alejandra Mendoza Enrique Terán

Abstract

Background

The Adult Treatment Panel III (ATPIII) guidelines aim to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In Ecuador, 20% of people have high LDL cholesterol levels, and 39% have high triglyceride levels.

Objective

To analyze lipid-lowering regimens in Ecuadorian patients and determine the achievement rate of the ATPIII goals for lipid profile.

Methods

Using a retrospective analysis, 385 subjects older than 30 years, who received pharmacological treatment for dyslipidemia for at least three months was randomly selected from institutions at two large cities in Ecuador. Data were collected from patients’ medical records and analyzed by chi-square test or paired t-test; p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant.

Results

Baseline total cholesterol values were above 200 mg/dL in 75% of subjects, LDL-c values above 129 mg/dL in 83% of subjects and triglycerides values above 150 mg/dL in 79% of subjects. Most (n = 253, 95.8%) patients at very high cardiovascular risk were taking statins, 50% of them atorvastatin. Considering the ATPIII guidelines’ goals, only 24 subjects (19%) at high CV risk achieved an LDL-c < 100 mg/dl, while a significantly lower percentage (p = 0.04) of patients at very high risk reached an LDL-c < 70mg/dl (11%; n = 30).

Conclusion

These data indicate a low rate of compliance with the ATPIII guidelines, independent of the medication used or duration of the treatment. This may be attributed to the prescription of low doses of medication and a therapy targeting isolated lipid fractions rather than a complete lipid profile. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2020; 33(4):371-376)

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IJCS

Original Article

The Physical Activity Level, Body Composition and Diabetes Mellitus Influence the Association Between Depression and Hypertension in Community-Dwelling Elders

Carlos Geovane S. Araújo et al. Ivna Vidal Freire Ícaro José Santos Ribeiro Yanne Franca Montino … Cézar Augusto Casotti Rafael Pereira

Abstract

Background:

Depression and hypertension are highly prevalent among elderly people. Although the relationship between these conditions is well recognized, however, the factors that may influence such association are not clearly understood.

Objective:

To analyze the association between depression and hypertension in community-dwelling elders.

Methods:

Two-hundred and thirty-one community-dwelling elders provided information regarding the following variables: sex, age, ethnicity, smoking habit, physical activity level (PA), body mass index (BMI) and diabetes mellitus (DM). These variables can potentially influence depression and hypertension, as well as its relationship. Screening for depression was made using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). The presence of hypertension was defined based on self-reported data and/or the use of antihypertensive drugs. The logistic regression technique was applied, using hypertension as the dependent variable and depressive state as a predictive variable. Logistic regression was applied with and without adjustment for the potential intervening variables.

Results:

The prevalence of depressive state and hypertension in the studied population was 14% and 59%, respectively. The association between depression and hypertension without adjustments was not significant (odds ratio [OR] = 2.28, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] = 0.98 – 5.32; p = 0.06). However, after adjusting for PA, BMI and DM, the strength of association between depression and hypertension significantly increased (OR = 3.08, 95%CI = 1.12 – 8.46; p = 0.03).

Conclusion:

The association between depression and hypertension in the elderly is directly influenced by PA, BMI and DM. This finding may guide strategies to increase the adherence to a healthier lifestyle.

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