Abstract
Purpose of Review: Behavioral medicine is a multidisciplinary field that has a key role in reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The purpose of this review is to describe the role of behavioral medicine for CVD prevention, using physical activity behaviors (e.g., sedentary behavior, daily physical activity, or exercise) as an exemplar. Application of behavioral medicine to improve dietary behaviors is also briefly discussed. Recent Findings: Behavioral medicine interventions that address physical activity behaviors are associated with improved cardiovascular risk factors. Interventions framed in behavior change theory that integrate behavior change techniques to reduce sedentary behavior and promote daily physical activity and exercise have similarly been applied to improve certain dietary behaviors and show promise for reducing CVD risk factors. Summary: Behavioral medicine has an important role in improving various physical activity behaviors for all populations, which is essential for preventing or managing CVD. Further investigation into behavioral medicine interventions that address personal, environmental, and social factors that influence participation in physical activity behaviors, as well as the adoption of a more optimal dietary pattern, is warranted.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 48 |
| Journal | Current atherosclerosis reports |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (M. Hannan and E. Kringle, Award Number T32HL134634; D. Laddu, Award Number K01HL148503), and by the by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (C.L. Hwang, Award Number K99AA028537). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. M. Hannan is also supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as a Future of Nursing Scholar Postdoctoral Fellow. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Keywords
- Behavioral medicine
- Cardiovascular disease
- Exercise
- Physical activity
- Prevention
- Sedentary behavior
