Abstract 262: Low Self-Efficacy Correlates with Increased Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is largely a preventable illness contingent upon the ability of patients to adhere to healthy lifestyle choices. Self-efficacy is a strong predictor of a patient’s ability to adopt healthy lifestyle change. We sought to examine correlations between self-efficacy and CVD risk. Methods: The Integrative Cardiac Health Project is an interdisciplinary CVD prevention program that seeks to improve modifiable CVD risk factors among military healthcare beneficiaries. Participants are provided comprehensive assessments and consultations within the disciplines of exercise, nutrition, stress and sleep to identify and modify CVD risk. Upon initiation of the program, participants complete a battery of assessments including anthropomorphic measurements, fasting laboratory studies and validated surveys for self-efficacy and sleep. Sleep surveys include the Berlin Questionnaire for sleep apnea, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for global assessment of sleep quality, and the visual analog fatigue score. In this retrospective analysis, patients were sorted into low and high self-efficacy groups using the midpoint of the range of self-efficacy scores. Patients with low (10 to <16.25 points) and high (16.25 to 22.5 points) self-efficacy scores were compared utilizing t-tests. Results: Of 71 participants (mean age 52 yrs, 33 men (46%)), 25 (35.2%) had low self-efficacy scores. Subjects with low self-efficacy scores demonstrated numerous CVD risk factors (See table). Conclusions: Self-efficacy and CVD risk profiles appear to be inversely related. To lower CVD risk and improve adherence to healthy lifestyle change, strategies to improve patient self-efficacy must be a primary consideration.