• Prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD) is a critical public health concern.

• CHD is responsible for 49.5% of deaths per year among women in the U. S., with mortality from CHD 2.5 times higher in women with diabetes than in women without diabetes.

• Diabetes is the sixth leading underlying cause of death in the United States, accounting for 271,252 deaths annually.

• Over ten million Americans suffer from this chronic disease with an annual expense of $91.8 billion in direct medical costs and $40.2 billion in indirect costs.

• Coronary heart disease (CHD) is 2.5 times higher in women with diabetes than in women without diabetes, and is greater for women than for men with diabetes.

• Although CHD is a major cause of death and functional limitations in older women, a gender gap exists in CHD research. The vast majority of studies of CHD risk factors, drug intervention trials, prevention programs, and health care strategies have involved primarily middle-aged men, although numerous studies show that data from middle-aged men cannot be applied to women of all ages.		  




• ORI scientists have pioneered the application of the successful Dean Ornish Lifestyle Heart intervention approach to women.

• ORI scientists have developed effective programs to improve health-related behaviors in older adults with type 2 diabetes and with postmenopausal women with CHD.

• ORI’s programs have been successful in helping people reduce their weight, improve blood sugar control, reduce frequency of chest pain, reduce of blood pressure medication, decrease risk of CHD, and improve the quality of life.

• Current work is examining the long-term maintenance of behavior change to reduce heart disease risk factors and is laying the groundwork for translating a successful lifestyle change intervention into practice. Our newest trial is focused on postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes who are at high risk for developing CHD.

• Our theory-based comprehensive lifestyle change program (Mediterranean Lifestyle Program) was shown to be effective in improving behavioral, psychosocial, quality of life, and physiologic outcomes. Longer-term (3- to 7-year) effects of the this program are currently being examined. In addition the potential for translating this program into practice, the theoretical mechanisms of behavior change are being explored, cost-effectiveness analyses are being conducted, and a dissemination plan is being developed.

More information on ORI’s work in Preventing & Treating Chronic Illness and our currently funded research in this area


Search for related publications in ORI's database
Publication search page with JAVA

Publication search page without JAVA

For more resources:

American Diabetes Association

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Click on tips for healthful eating or assessment tools

American Heart Assocation
Click on healthy lifestyle

  




You can improve your chances of staying healthy by:

• Joining a healthful eating or stress-management support group

• Committing to a physical activity program with a friend or personal trainer

• You can more effectively reduce your risk of heart disease by improving multiple health behaviors (including diet, stress management, physical activity, and nonsmoking) rather than focusing on one behavior alone.

• The Mediterranean diet has been shown to be effective in reducing heart disease risk. This style of eating is flexible and can be adapted to suit individual tastes. The diet focuses on five commandments: (1) more bread, (2) more root vegetables, green vegetables, and legumes; (3) more fish, (4) less red meat, replaced by poultry, and (5) avoidance of butter and cream (substituting olive or canola oil).