Screening uncovers individual risk factors

Provide 1-on-1 education on prevention tactics

The Heart Partners program at The Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus conducts a heart disease risk assessment to determine what lifestyle changes a man or woman can make to help prevent heart disease.

Heart Partners screens for:

• cholesterol levels over 200 mg/dl as well as high-density lipoproteins (HDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and triglycerides; while HDL removes cholesterol from the body, LDL builds up on artery walls.

• high blood pressure, which is a reading of 140/90 or more for extended periods of time;

• abnormally high amounts of sugar (glucose) in the blood, which could indicate that diabetes is present; diabetes can speed the rate at which cholesterol is deposited on artery walls.

• weight more than 30% of ideal body weight; Heart Partners teaches participants their ideal weight and how to maintain it.

• smoking; the risk of heart attack is double for those who smoke.

• a family history of heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, or high blood pressure, which often makes a person at a higher risk for developing heart disease;

• a healthy diet low in fat and sodium;

• a regular exercise regimen; Heart Partners evaluates how much activity is right for each person and if a visit to the doctor is needed before any strenuous activities are started.

• the level of stress a person has, which can strain the heart; ways to handle stress are suggested.

Counselors provide an individual evaluation of each person and education to help individuals make lifestyle changes. After the first screening, a staff member from Heart Partners contacts the participant annually for follow-up screenings. Participants pay a small fee for the screening and counseling.

[For more information on Heart Partners, write: Katy Hamtak, Consumer and Corporate Health Education and Wellness of The Ohio State University Medical Center, 941 Chatham Lane, Suite 320, Columbus, OH 43221. Telephone: (614) 293-3721.]