The description and initial evaluation of an intensive live-in program in risk reduction

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
• Public Health Interventions
• Behavioral Medicine

Background:

• Multidisciplinary approaches are crucial for managing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.
• Lifestyle modifications targeting smoking, weight, blood lipids, blood pressure, and stress are key to chronic disease prevention.
• Individual health risk varies based on measurable physiological and medical history factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a short-term, live-in intervention program aimed at reducing multiple CVD risk factors.
• To assess the program's effectiveness across individuals with varying levels of health risk.
• To determine the short-term and one-year follow-up impact of the intervention on health behaviors and risk variables.

Main Methods:

• A 24-day live-in program focused on improving exercise, nutrition, weight management, and stress control.
• Participants (n=459) were enrolled with varying health risks based on biochemical, physiological, and medical history data.
• Data collection included smoking status, cholesterol levels, ideal body weight percentage, blood pressure, and self-reported well-being.

Main Results:

• Significant reductions in smoking (68% cessation), cholesterol (240 to 200 mg%), ideal body weight (134% to 129%), systolic BP (131 to 119 mm Hg), and diastolic BP (81 to 73 mm Hg) were observed.
• High-risk groups showed greater improvements during the intervention.
• One-year follow-up for high-risk individuals indicated sustained reductions in cholesterol, BP, and body weight, with 45% remaining non-smokers.

Conclusions:

• The short-term, multidisciplinary live-in program effectively reduced cardiovascular disease risk factors.
• The intervention demonstrated particular efficacy in high-risk populations, with sustained benefits at one year.
• While lower-risk individuals showed initial improvements, their risk levels tended to return towards baseline, suggesting the need for ongoing support.