Heart failure can be prevented with lifestyle modifications

Heart failure, a permanent possibly life-threatening condition, means an insufficient function of a heart, or, in fatal cases, the entire cardiovascular system altogether. Weight gain, a risk factor for heart failure, affects globally about 1.9 billion adults 18 years old of age and older (WHO 2016). Since obese patients are 23% to 53% more likely to suffer from heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases (Wang 2022), there is an increasing need for implementing evidence-based nursing measures aimed at prevention of heart failure.

Lifestyle changes means a lowered risk of obesity induced heart failure

One of the best strategies to prevent obesity induced heart failure is by lifestyle modification. The key to preventing not only heart failure but also future weight gain on obese people is to maintain a healthier lifestyle. Based on bachelor’s thesis by Pham and Pham (2023), key elements on healthy lifestyle include exercise, proper diet, and restriction in alcohol and tobacco use. But it is not enough just to concentrate to physical aspects of healthier lifestyle, as mental and emotional well-being are just as important to overall health (Ripped 2018; Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy 2022). Regular physical exercise is especially beneficial for obese patients in risk for heart failure, as it not just tackles weight gain, but also takes part in stress relief, anxiety and depression reduction increasing one’s ability to execute the needed lifestyle changes.

The most crucial factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and breaking undesirable habits is the patient’s desire and effort. However, making long-lasting changes be tough and patient might not be able to implement healthier lifestyles into their everyday activities alone.

How to support lifestyle changes?

Therefore, health care providers need to go beyond their conventional treatment approaches and include obesity prevention into their heart failure care plans. It is critical that nurses are engaged in evidence-based patient education and nursing interventions to support patients in creating and adhering to a sustainable self-care plan to prevent obesity and heart failure rather than just treating them. Motivating and assisting patients with nursing interventions and patient education are important means of establishing and sustaining a healthy lifestyle but also to reduce economic and societal costs of these conditions.

One approach for improving patient education has been taken with treatment recommendations produced by Nursing Research Foundation. The recommendations on support in heart failure patients’ self-care plan and on means to provide efficient remote patient education provide evidence-based practices on how to educate patients in more efficient and sustainable manner (Hotus-hoitosuositus 2018; Hotus-hoitosuositus 2022) as wellbeing services counties are struggling with decreasing funding.

References

Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy. 2022. Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle. Cited 5 Dec 2023. Available at https://www.foundationforpn.org/living-well/lifestyle/

Hotus-hoitosuositus. 2018. Omahoidon ohjauksen sisällöt sydämen vajaatoimintapotilaan hoitotyössä. Hoitotyön tutkimussäätiön asettama työryhmä: Ihanus, S., Kiema, M., Miettinen, H., Ylönen, K. & Maijala, V. Helsinki: Hoitotyön tutkimussäätiö.  Cited 7 Dec 2023. Available at https://www.hotus.fi/hoitosuositukset/

Hotus-hoitosuositus. 2022. Etäyhteydellä toteutettava pitkäaikaissairautta sairastavan omahoidon ohjaus. Hoitotyön tutkimussäätiön asettama työryhmä: Virtanen, H., Marin, K., Hiltunen, A-M., Kaila, A., Kajula, O. & Kesänen, J. Helsinki: Hoitotyön tutkimussäätiö. Cited 7 Dec 2023. Available at https://www.hotus.fi/hoitosuositukset/

Pham, A. & Pham, T. 2023. Increased risk of heart failure in obese patients. Bachelor’s thesis. LAB University of Applied Sciences. Cited 12 Dec 2023. Available at https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/814251

Ripped M. J. 2018. Lifestyle Medicine: The Health Promoting Power of Daily Habits and Practices. Cited 5 Dec 2023. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6367881/

Stocksnap. 2023. Caregiver, nurse, senior, wheelchair. Cited 7 Dec 2023. Available at https://stocksnap.io/photo/caregiver-nurse-VACJ6UWKLO

Wang, X., Dong, J., Du, Z., Jiang, J., Hu, Y., Qin, L., & Hao, Y. 2022. Risk of Heart Failure between Different Metabolic States of Health and Weight: A Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies. Nutrients, 14(24), 5223. Cited 30 Aug 2023. Available at https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14245223.

World Health Organization n.d. Obesity. Cited 15 Nov 2023. Available at https://www.who.int/health-topics/obesity#tab=tab_1