Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions

Medical Training for Prevention & Treatment of CVD

Circulation; ePub 2016 Sep 6; Hivert, et al

Publish date:: September 20, 2016

The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued a scientific statement on the importance of medical training and lifestyle counseling for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and other chronic medical conditions. The statement provides a framework for US medical school deans and program directors to integrate learning objectives that will improve lifestyle counseling competency among future physicians. General education objectives are proposed related to behavioral sciences and the main lifestyle components known to have major impacts on general health and the likelihood of developing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The statement offers recommendations for the integration of fundamentals to lifestyle counseling in medical school curriculum in the following areas:

• Behavioral sciences

• Nutrition

• Physical activity

• Smoking

• Other behaviors (sleep patterns, stress management, etc.)

Citation: Hivert MF, Arena R, Forman DE, et al. Medical training to achieve competency in lifestyle counseling: An essential foundation for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and other chronic medical conditions: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. [Published online ahead of print September 6, 2016]. Circulation. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000442.

Commentary: It is clear that the primary health challenges that face our nation are no longer infectious diseases, but rather chronic illness like diabetes, COPD, hypertension and cardiovascular disease—all of which have significant behavioral causes.¹ There is solid evidence that healthy lifestyle can eliminate approximately 80% of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as 40% of cancers. The challenge now is to learn more about how to help people become motivated and give them the support to carry out the lifestyle change that is needed to change the trajectory of health in this country.² —Neil Skolnik, MD

1. Spring B, Ockene JK, Gidding SS, et al. AHA science advisory: Better population health through behavior change in adults - A call to action. Circulation. 2013;128:2169. doi:10.1161/01.cir.0000435173.25936.e1.

2. Heisler M, Resnicow K. Helping patients make and sustain healthy changes: A brief introduction to motivational interviewing in clinical diabetes care. Clinical Diabetes. 2008;26(4):161-165.

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