Community-Dwelling Adults' Perceived Versus Actual Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Body Mass Index, and Physical Activity Levels and Related Factors.

CONTEXT: The difference between actual and perceived risk levels shows distorted risk perception. Unrealistic perceptions of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks and insufficient knowledge about CVD risk factors can not only hinder the adoption of a positive lifestyle change but also obstruct preventive efforts. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the concordance between perceived and actual risks, body mass index (BMI), and physical activity levels. DESIGN: This descriptive study included 522 community-dwelling adults in 2 different regions of Antalya/Turkey. The actual CVD risk level of the participants was determined using the "HeartScore program," actual body weight was determined according to BMI, and actual activity levels were found using the "International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF)." The perceived risks were measured with the CVD Risk and Risk Factors Perception Determination Questionnaire. CVD Risk Factors Knowledge Level (CARRF-KL) Scale was used to calculate the participants' level of knowledge about the risk factors. RESULTS: There was no concordance between the participants' actual and perceived CVD risks. A below-average agreement was found between the participants' actual and perceived BMI levels. In terms of actual measurements, it was seen that slightly obese individuals have a realistic perception. There was a weak agreement between the actual and perceived physical activity levels of the adults. Knowledge about the CVD risk factors of adults does not affect the perception of CVD risk and BMI and physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Adults have an optimistic risk perception regarding CVD risk, BMI, and physical activity levels. It may be beneficial to periodically assess actual risks to change skewed perceptions of CVD and risk factors. These findings will inform the development of tailored intervention strategies and policies for these adults.

The effect of lifestyle physical activity in reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors (blood pressure and cholesterol) in women: A systematic review.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the most important cause of death in older women. Although there is strong evidence in the literature that moderate lifestyle physical activity (PA) is effective in modifiable CVD risk factors, there is limited evidence demonstrating which activities are effective in women. This systematic review was conducted to evaluate the effect of lifestyle PA interventions on CVD risk factors in women. Various databases were searched for English articles from 2000 to 2019. Eight articles met the selection criteria. It is recommended to use different combinations of interventions including moderate PA, to reduce CVD risk factors in women.

Impaired perception of cardiovascular risk and health literacy in individuals with high cardiovascular diseases risk from different socioeconomic levels in Antalya, Turkey.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine how the frequency of impaired perception of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is correlated with health literacy in individuals with high CVD risk in two regions with different socioeconomic levels. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted. The Systematic Coronary Risk Estimation, recommended by the European and Turkish Cardiology Societies, provides recommendations based on individuals' actual CVD risk levels. According to the Systematic Coronary Risk Estimation, participants suffering from diseases were identified as high and very high risk. The perception of risk was determined by subjectively assessing the risk level of the individuals. The European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire was used. The Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-squared test and Spearman's correlation analysis were used to analyse the data. We also conducted a logistic regression analysis to identify factors contributing to impaired perception of CVD risk. RESULTS: A total of 384 individuals, aged between 40 and 70years (with a mean age of 58.35±8.33years), were included in the study. These individuals had a high risk of CVD and were registered to family health centres from two different socioeconomic levels. Out of the 384 participants, 201 individuals belonged to the lower socioeconomic level region and 183 individuals belonged to the higher socioeconomic level region. A total of 61.7% of the participants with high CVD risk had an impaired perception of CVD risk. The health literacy level of 59.9% of individuals was either inadequate or problematic. The health literacy score of participants with impaired risk perception (29.59±9.07) was lower than those with correct risk perception (35.83±10.94; P <0.001). Factors that affected the perception of CVD risk included age, education level, working status, occupation, a family history of CVD, the CVD risk assessment by health professionals and the recommendation of health professionals to individuals for CVD screening. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary for health care professionals to make risk assessments and perform interventions to improve health literacy to raise the awareness of individuals with high CVD risk on their actual risk.

Effectiveness of a nurse-led physical activity intervention to decrease cardiovascular disease risk in middle-aged adults: A pilot randomized controlled study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the nurse-led physical activity (PA) intervention on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction in individuals with moderate risk. A randomized controlled pilot trial was conducted with 12 individuals who have moderate cardiovascular risk meeting the inclusion criteria. Eleven individuals in the intervention group participated in a 12-week PA program (outdoor group walking with the group 5 days in a week, each lasting for 40 minutes) guided by a nurse. For determining the risk level of CVD, the "HeartScore program" was used. Height, weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol values of individuals in the intervention group were measured. At the end of nurse-led outdoor walking activity with the group for 12 weeks, systolic blood pressure (P = .041) and cholesterol (P = .001) values of individuals in the intervention group decreased based on the baseline levels and accordingly CVD risk levels decreased significantly (P = .019). There was no significant difference in the control group. This study demonstrates that health care professionals working in the family health centers can easily determine the CVD risk with the HeartScore. Outdoor group walking program guided by a nurse is effective in decreasing the CVD risk level.