Association Between a Technology-Enabled Postpartum Program and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction in Women With...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Preventive Medicine
• Women's Health

Background:

• Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) increase long-term cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in women.
• Previous interventions have not fully addressed the complex risk factors post-HDP.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a behavior-change, risk-reduction intervention on CVD risk scores in women with a history of HDP.
• To assess the impact of the CardioPrevent Postpartum Program on clinical, psychosocial, and behavioral outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, single-arm, pre-post study design.
• 190 women with recent HDP enrolled in the CardioPrevent Postpartum Program.
• 17 sessions over 12 months focused on behavioral changes and medical risk factor management.

Main Results:

• Significant reductions in Framingham Risk Score (53.7%) and Lifetime Risk Score (22.6%).
• Improvements in weight, waist circumference, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, depression, anxiety, and stress.
• Increased adherence to physical activity, healthy diet, and medication recommendations.

Conclusions:

• The behavior-change intervention effectively improved CVD risk factors in women post-HDP.
• Multidisciplinary programs show promise for CVD risk reduction in this high-risk population.