Lifestyle Modification Program for Cardiovascular Risk Patients in Indonesia

Purpose: Unhealthy lifestyle leads to an increased risk of contracting cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the LIFESTYLE modification program developed by the researcher. The program was designed in response to the needs of Indonesian patients. LIFESTYLE is an acronym for L-ose weight, I-dentify your risk, F-ood choice, E-xercise frequently, S-top smoking and alcohol, T-hink positive, Y-es to a healthy lifestyle, L-et’s control regularly, and E-veryone is supporting you. Method: This study employed the quasi-experimental design, specifically pretest-posttest method along with time series. Fifty-eight (58) participants were purposively chosen and given a 12-week LIFESTYLE modification program in a community health center called Puskesmas in Indonesia. CVD risk and physiological parameters such as blood pressure, waist circumference, total blood cholesterol, and body mass index (BMI) were observed before, during, and after the intervention. CVD risk was estimated using Framingham 10-year CVD risk score of non-laboratory-based test. Results: The mean for CVD risk and physiological parameters decreased after the participants underwent the LIFESTYLE modification program. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that there was a significant difference in the participants’ systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol (p<.001) before, during, and after the intervention. Conclusion: The 12-week LIFESTYLE modification program is effective in increasing knowledge of cardiovascular risk and observing a healthy lifestyle. Also, this program facilitates early identification of risks for CVD and improves selected physiological parameters.