Preventing Heart Disease
Have High Blood
Pressure and Want to Quit Smoking? |
 We are currently recruiting smokers with either pre-hypertension
or stage-one hypertension who want to quit smoking. Learn more by
calling 860-372-8418.
Through the study, which is funded by a grant from the National
Institutes of Health, participants will be treated actively, free of
charge, for at least three to six months and will be followed for
one year. They will receive a thorough medical exam and will receive
medication and counseling to help them stop smoking. In addition
to measuring the affect of smoking cessation on blood pressure, the
study will also compare two counseling approaches. Participants
will be randomly divided into two groups. While both will receive
the same medication, one will receive traditional, individual
counseling and the other will receive “contingency management”
counseling. Contingency management is an incentive-based
intervention in which participants receive prizes such as vouchers
or small gifts for compliance – in this case, for not smoking. It
has been used to treat of variety of addictive disorders and in
recent years, its success rates have gained national attention, as
well as increased credibility in the medical community. For this
study, modest prizes are individually chosen to meet the needs and
wishes of participants. To learn more about the study, call
860-372-8418. |
All of us at the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center are
deeply committed to help men and women prevent cardiovascular
disease and manage risk factors such as family history,
hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol disorders and more.
In addition,
our experts offer several free and low cost cardiovascular
screenings in the community every year. Any many of our advanced
research initiatives are looking at new ways to prevent heart
disease in generations to come.
Behavioral Cardiovascular Prevention Program
Recently, we introduced a new program to provide access to
medically supervised services, many of which are free of charge
because they are connected with research studies, to help men
and women reduce their risk of heart disease by adapting
healthier lifestyles.
Our new program is being led by Nancy Petry, Ph.D., an
accomplished, nationally recognized leader in the field of
behavioral interventions to treat addiction disorders. We are
delighted to have Dr. Petry and her colleagues on our team.
Smoking Cessation
One of the first studies of our new program is looking at the impact
of smoking and smoking cessation on high blood pressure, and is also
comparing two approaches to help smokers kick the habit. (See box to
the right.)
Weight Loss, Exercise
Other studies underway through the Behavioral Cardiovascular
Program are looking at approaches to weight reduction, ways to
encourage exercise, smoking cessation for individuals who do not
have high blood pressure and more.
Heart Disease Prevention: What You Can Do
In principle, all people can take steps to lower their risk for heart disease and heart attack.
Here's additional information about prevention offered by the
Centers for Disease Control:
Prevent and control high blood cholesterol
High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease. Preventing and treating high blood cholesterol includes eating a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in
fiber, keeping a healthy weight, and getting regular exercise. All adults should have their cholesterol levels checked once every five years. If yours is high, your doctor may
prescribe medicines to help lower it. See the CDC's cholesterol fact sheet.
Prevent and control high blood pressure
Lifestyle actions such as healthy diet, regular physical activity, not smoking, and healthy weight will help you to keep normal blood pressure levels and all adults should have their
blood pressure checked on a regular basis. Blood pressure is easily checked. If your blood pressure is high, you can work with your doctor to treat it and bring it down to the normal
range. A high blood pressure can usually be controlled with lifestyle changes and with medicines when needed. See the
CDC's high blood pressure fact sheet.
Prevent and control diabetes
People with diabetes have an increased risk of heart disease but can reduce their risk. Also, people can take steps to reduce their risk for diabetes in the first place, through weight
loss and regular physical activity. For more information about diabetes, see the CDC's diabetes program Web site.
No tobacco
Smoking increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Never smoking is one of the best things a person can do to lower their risk. And, quitting smoking will
also help lower a person’s risk of heart disease. A person's risk of heart attack decreases soon after quitting. If you smoke, your doctor can suggest programs to help you quit
smoking. For more information about tobacco use and quitting, see the CDC's tobacco intervention and prevention source Web site.
Moderate alcohol use
Excessive alcohol use increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. People who drink should do so only in moderation and always responsibly. More information on
alcohol can be found at the CDC's alcohol and public health Web site.
Maintain a healthy weight
Healthy weight status in adults is usually assessed by using weight and height to compute a number called the "body mass index" (BMI). BMI usually indicates the amount of body fat. An
adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese. Overweight is a BMI between 25 and 29.9. Normal weight is a BMI of 18 to 24.9. Proper diet and regular physical activity can
help to maintain a healthy weight. You can compute your BMI at the CDC's nutrition and physical activity program Web site.
Regular physical activity
Adults should engage in moderate level physical activities for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. For more information, see
the CDC's nutrition and physical activity program Web site.
Diet and nutrition
Along with healthy weight and regular physical activity, an overall healthy diet can help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and prevent obesity, diabetes, heart disease,
and stroke. This includes eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lowering or cutting out added salt or sodium, and eating less saturated fat and cholesterol to lower these risks.
For more information, see the CDC's nutrition and physical activity program Web site.
Related Guidelines and Recommendations
- The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of
High Blood Pressure from the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute Web site.
- Third Report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults
(Adult Treatment Panel III) from the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute Web site.
- Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults
from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Web site.
- Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General
This report brings together, for the first time, what has been learned about physical activity and health from decades of research.
- Surgeon General's Reports Related to Tobacco Use
List of reports concerning smoking and health, including reports on tobacco use among ethnic groups and young people.
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
Dietary Guidelines for Americans is published jointly every 5 years by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Date last reviewed: October 22, 2007
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion |
