Brazilian hospital employees exhibited moderate cardiovascular health (mean LE8 score 69.39), with health behaviors scoring significantly lower than health factors (58.90 vs. 79.88, p<0.001).
Healthcare workers at a Brazilian tertiary hospital demonstrated overall moderate cardiovascular health, with diet and physical activity identified as primary vulnerabilities.
Absolute Event Rate: 0% vs 0%
Background/Objectives: The American Heart Association Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) is a tool proposed to categorize overall cardiovascular health (CVH), ranging from 0 to 100 and classifies CVH as low (<50), moderate (50–79) or high (≥80), based on the following health behaviors (diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure and sleep) and health factors (body mass index—BMI, lipid levels, glycemic profile and blood pressure). Although used in the general population, it is not part of the health assessment routine in the workplace. We assessed CVH of healthcare workers using an LE8-based score through a mobile application. Methods: Cross-sectional pilot study with adults working at a tertiary hospital in Brazil. We used an app for self-reporting LE8 metrics. Additionally, data on age, sex, and mental health (10-item Perceived Stress Scale, PSS-10) were collected. Results: Sixty-five adults (58.5% female; mean age 36 ± 9.01 years) were included. The mean LE8 overall score was 69.39 ± 12.63. The proportion of participants in the low, moderate and high cardiovascular health categories were 6.2%, 69.2% and 24.6%, respectively. Diet quality (34.76 ± 24.3) and physical activity (45.38 ± 40.58) were in the “low cardiovascular health” category. “Health behaviors” had a significantly lower mean score than “health factors” (58.90 ± 20.53 vs. 79.88 ± 15.55, p < 0.001). The mean PSS-10 score was 19.01 ± 7.49, indicating moderate perceived stress. Overall LE8 and PSS-10 scores were not significantly correlated (rs = −0,0.17; p = 0.161). There was no significant difference in the mean overall LE8 score in the linear regression model adjusting for age, sex and perceived stress. Conclusions: Among employees of a Brazilian tertiary hospital, the adapted LE8 score indicated overall moderate CVH. Health behaviors—particularly diet quality and physical activity—were the main vulnerable areas. Implementation of an LE8-based assessment in the workplace may be useful for targeted prevention strategies in Brazil. Future larger and longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm these findings.
Silva et al. (Mon,) reported a other. Brazilian hospital employees exhibited moderate cardiovascular health (mean LE8 score 69.39), with health behaviors scoring significantly lower than health factors (58.90 vs. 79.88, p<0.001).