According to the 2004 Surgeon General’s Report—The Health Consequences of Smoking:
- Avoid tobacco – According to the CDC, nearly 160,000 men and women in the U.S. die every year from cardiovascular disease attributed to smoking.
- Be more active – Getting 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity each day can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and keep your weight at a healthy level.
- Choose good nutrition – Maintain your weight through good nutrition and physical activity. Obesity places you at ricks for high cholesterol and blood pressure, and insulin resistance (a precursor of type 2 diabetes)—the very factors that heighten your risk of cardiovascular disease.
The American Heart Association has identified several risk factors that increase the risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack. The more risk factors you have, the greater your chance of developing coronary heart disease.
Major risk factors that can not be changed:
- Increasing age
- Male gender
- Heredity (including race)
Major risk factors that can be changed:
- Tobacco use
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Physical inactivity
- Obesity
- Diabetes
Other factors that contribute to heart disease risk:
Healthfirst NJ is dedicated to health promotion, early recognition of disease and disability, and intervention in order to maximize the health status of our members. Our Care Management Programs target members diagnosed with a number of high-risk and complex conditions as well as members with special situations and needs for early intervention and care management.
What’s more, our new Intensive Care Management Program—Coordinated Care—delivers continuous and intense care management as well as coordinated and linked medical support services to members who bear the highest burden of illness, such as Diabetes, Congestive Heart Failure and other chronic diseases.
For more information on Healthfirst’s Care Management Programs, please call Medical Management at 1-888-394-4327. For more information on heart disease prevention, visit the American Heart Association web site at http://www.americanheart.org.
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