The Role of Group Educational Programs in Modification of the Cardiovascular Risk Main Factors

Aim – to study the influence of Healthy Schools "Healthy Lifestyle Basis" education on modifying of cardiovascular risk main factors. Materials and methods. 57 patients with cardiovascular diseases were examined. General clinical examination, anthropometric examinations (body weight, height, body mass index, and body composition), blood pressure measurement, and cholesterol determination, as well as its fractions in blood, were carried out before and after training course. The educational cycle included 9 lessons. Results. It was found that Healthy Schools education contributes to better both systolic and diastolic blood pressure monitoring. Thus, initially target blood pressure levels (<140/90 mmHg for patients without diabetes mellitus and <140/85 mmHg in case of diabetes) were observed in 49 % of patients, at the end of the training cycle – in 67 %. At the same time, the patients’ anthropometric parameters (BMI, fat and muscle tissue content, visceral fat) as well as cholesterol and its atherogenic serum fractions, did not change significantly. The patients’ education did not affect motivation level for their lifestyle improvement. So the number of patients consuming less than5 grams of table salt per day and over400 grams of vegetables and fruit did not change significantly. The level of physical activity between the examined patients did not change. Conclusion. The training course “Healthy Schools: Healthy Lifestyle Basis" contributes to improvement of blood pressure level monitoring, but does not significantly affect behavioral risk factors and does not lead to improvement of lipid metabolism monitoring in patients with cardiovascular disease. It is necessary to search for new more effective preventive care models for patients with high cardiovascular risk.