Associations between healthy behaviors and coronary heart disease risk factors in women

Objectives: To describe the heart-healthy behaviors in a convenience sample of 210 women from a Midwestern state in the US and examine the associations between the behaviors and having risk factors to coronary heart disease. Methods: Logistic regression was used to examine the association between the behaviors of diet, exercise, and medication adherence with the risks of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, family history of heart disease, and cigarette smoking. Results: There were a low consumption of heart-healthy meals, inadequate exercise participation, and inadequate medications adherence. Having personal hyperlipidemia, a family history of heart disease, age and education were significantly associated with the behaviors. Conclusion: The findings point to the need for evidence-based education aimed at increasing women’s awareness of heart disease risks, improving their behaviors, and emphasizing the link between risk reduction and the behaviors.