By Adam Carter, CBC News
Posted: Apr 17, 2013 11:07 AM ET
Last Updated: Apr 17, 2013 11:13 AM ET
Even a heart attack or stroke can't force most people to eat right, exercise or stop smoking, according to a new study from researchers at McMaster University.
"It's a whole societal issue in attitude," said Dr. Koon Teo, the chief of cardiology service at the McMaster University Medical Centre and one of the study's authors.
Teo and a team of researchers surveyed 153,966 adults from 628 cities and towns in 17 different countries with different income levels to figure out how much they improved their lifestyles after a heart attack or stroke. They used eating healthy, quitting smoking and regular exercise as measuring sticks.
In the beginning, people get scared and do things.'—Dr. Koon Teo
Of the 7,519 people surveyed who had a heart attack or stroke, 14.3 per cent didn't adopt any of these healthy behaviors into their lives, and only 4.3 per cent adopted all three.
Teo says this study was important in that it measured people's behavior five years after a stroke or heart attack, and not just right away. "In the beginning, people get scared and do things," he said, adding that the positive behavior can quickly change, and people can sink back into old habits.
The study also found:
- 18.5 per cent of people continued to smoke after a heart attack or stroke.
- 35.1 per cent were highly physically active
- 39 per cent adopted better eating habits
Teo says the study is also one of the biggest cross-boarder projects of its kind used to illustrate how income levels can tailor health.
"It was a big undertaking," he said. "It was a lot of hard work on everybody's parts because people are very concerned in all these countries."
The study reveals some interesting cultural eccentricities. More people in high-income countries reported stopping smoking at 74.9 per cent — but more of them also smoked in the past, Teo says. Low income countries had much fewer people quit smoking at 38.1 per cent.
People in low income countries also scored the lowest for healthy eating and physical activity levels after a stroke or cardiac event.
People with heart and stroke issues should be concerned with these results and do what they can to change them, Teo says. "Conventional wisdom" shows that people who have had a heart attack or stroke are more likely to have another, he said.
But studies have shown that exercise, healthy eating and quitting smoking can reduce that risk up to 20 to 25 per cent, Teo says. Couple that with medication, and that number doubles to 50 per cent, he added.
"And that is substantial."
Several of the authors of the study have disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, like Novartis, King Pharma, and GlaxoSmithKline. You can read the entire list of sponsors here.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Many heart and stroke patients not improving lifestyles, McMaster study says
Dengan url
http://hemiltoninfo.blogspot.com/2013/04/many-heart-and-stroke-patients-not.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Many heart and stroke patients not improving lifestyles, McMaster study says
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Many heart and stroke patients not improving lifestyles, McMaster study says
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar