Improving the health of Oklahomans through clinical prevention. Part 1: Counseling to decrease major risk factors

Compared to other states, Oklahomans suffer higher levels of morbidity and mortality from several common conditions--coronary heart disease, chronic lung disease, stroke and injury. Unhealthy personal behaviors contribute significantly to each of these conditions, thus rendering them at least partially preventable by changing those behaviors. Research has shown that many patients will modify unhealthy behaviors as a result of services provided by physicians or staff in their offices, often with briefly delivered messages. In this report we will discuss the most common preventable illnesses suffered by Oklahomans and the risk factors associated with those illnesses. Physicians should make maximum use of their ability to promote healthy behaviors by their patients, with emphasis on the risk factors associated with significant morbidity in the state. They should also focus on those risk factors patients are likely to change following physician counseling, as determined by prevention research and described in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force document Guide to Clinical Preventive Services. In general, physicians should consistently deliver messages that address tobacco products, alcohol and other drugs, the use of seat belts, and diet and exercise. Also, they should recommend that all women of childbearing age who are capable of becoming pregnant take a multivitamin containing folic acid daily.