CALCULATING CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK: A DISEASE SIMULATION MODEL TO ESTIMATE THE LIFETIME RISK OF COMPLICATIONS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND DIABETES

Abstract

non-contiguous months between June 2103 and March 2014), participants were also queried regarding their medication adherence, current lifestyle habits, and health goals. RESULTS: Among 10,120 individuals treated for dyslipidemia, the average age was 63 years, 55% were female, 58% were overweight (body mass index> 27), 25% were sedentary (weekly METS<720), 64%were takingmedication for hypertension, 12% smoked, 24% had diagnosed diabetes, and 27% had diagnosed cardiovascular disease (CVD). Optimal (100%) adherence with daily lipid medication during the previous month was reported by 7,261 (72%), while 2,502 (25%) hadmissed takingmedication on at least one day, and 357 (3%) had discontinued their medication. The most common reasons for not taking their lipid medications were: forgetting (70%), not having medication available (19%), feeling OK (14%), and perceived side effects (13%). Using multiple logistic regression analysis, we identified independent factors significantly associated (p <0.05) with missing or discontinuing medication including: younger age, female, overweight, sedentary, smoking, not taking anti-hypertensive medication, and lower satisfaction with the quality of their sleep. When asked to identify their current action plan to reduce their cardiovascular risk, the most frequently mentioned goals were increasing physical activity (72%) and losing weight (71%) while the least frequent were speaking with their physician (20%) or pharmacist (4%). CONCLUSION: Self-reported non-adherence with lipid medication and lifestyle risk factors for CVD are common among Canadian adults. Healthy lifestyle habits including not smoking, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy body weight were associated with better medication adherence. Accordingly, engaging patients to adopt and maintain these healthy lifestyle habits could prove highly effective in managing blood lipid levels and other modifiable CVD risk factors.