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CVD incidence in veterans reduced by lifestyle change program
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The MOVE! lifestyle change program was associated with reduced CVD incidence in a cohort of U.S. veterans, according to findings published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
“Lifestyle change programs may be an attractive strategy for health care systems to consider as an adjunct to conventional pharmacotherapy approaches for control of CVD risk factors,” Sandra L. Jackson, PhD, from the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur, Georgia, and colleagues wrote.
Researchers used national Veterans Health Administration databases to conduct a retrospective cohort study comparing MOVE! participants and eligible nonparticipants between 2005 and 2012.
Eligibility criteria for the MOVE! program included obese or overweight with a weight-related health condition but no CVD at baseline.
The cohort included 1,463,003 individuals (mean age, 52 years; mean BMI, 32 kg/m2; 92% men; 76% white), 12% (n = 169,248) of whom were MOVE! participants.
The primary outcome was CVD incidence, defined as ICD-9 and procedure codes for CAD, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease and HF.
At a mean 4.9-year follow-up, when adjusted for age, race, sex, BMI, statin use and baseline comorbidities, participation in the MOVE! program was linked to reduced incidence of total CVD (HR = 0.83, 95% CI, 0.8-0.86), CAD (HR = 0.81, 95% CI, 0.77-0.86), cerebrovascular disease (HR = 0.87; 95% CI, 0.82-0.92); peripheral vascular disease (HR = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.83-0.94); and HF (HR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.74-0.83), according to the researchers.
The results were consistent regardless of race/ethnicity, BMI, diabetes, hypertension, smoking status and statin use, Jackson and colleagues wrote.
“The large observational study indicates that participation in a national lifestyle change program, implemented in a routine health care setting, was associated with reduced CVD incidence,” the researchers wrote. “Further research would be needed to determine whether the program is still associated with reduced CVD incidence if a larger portion of the eligible population participated.” – by Dave Quaile
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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