Epidemiology: Framingham Heart Study

Epidemiology: Framingham Heart Study

Introduction

Framingham heart research is one of the most extensive on-going cardiovascular studies. Through their advances in various findings relating to heart diseases, it is considered as one of the most important epidemiological studies ever done in medical history. Their findings from 1948 up to date have helped in propelling medical fraternity to develop ways of creating awareness, treating, and controlling the epidemic. Since its establishment, the organization has been able to come up with fifty-two findings regarding heart diseases. Regardless of a large number of findings, one will discuss game-based interventions and psychosocial factors.

Framingham heart study findings

Framingham heart study has led to various establishments regarding heart disease causes, management, and risk factors. One of the significant findings involves a game-based intervention that increases the social incentives of an individual (Framingham Heart Study, 2020). This leads to an increase in physical activity among the patients who were investigated by the Framingham heart study. The intervention utilizes gamification, a game design that uses nongame contexts and points elements. It is a digital health intervention that is intended to enhance social incentives among the families to help in increasing physical activities they practice.  The intervention was designed to promote changes in one’s health behaviors. The development of the response was mainly caused by the increasing number of people in the United States. As such, the application of an intervention using digital methods is crucial due to the rapid expansion of mobile technologies. The use of gamification in health intervention using digital gadgets such as mobile phones helps in the improvement of cardiovascular activities due to the increase in the level of activities done.

A game-intervention is a non-pharmacological intervention used in increasing the level of activity through exercise. Cardiovascular mortality and morbidity rate has dramatically decreased morbidity and mortality rates among cardiovascular patients. For instance, the sessions provided for the gaming activities provide a base through which the patients can be trained and educated regarding how to handle their health issues. Nonetheless, it facilitates the enhancement of one’s physical fitness. This helps in cardiovascular health risks reduction, such as stroke, as a result of a reduction in cases of fatigue due to frequent exercise. The game-based activities also help in increasing the quality of life among patients suffering from heart diseases. Heart diseases such as hypertension are caused by stress, among other factors. Game-based interventions promote emotions, volitions, and personal competencies. Such helps in promoting endurance, emotional and stress control, and enhancing social skills. The playmates in the gaming exercise enable one to view the beauty of life, thus promoting healthy living. This also helps in learning ways of preventing risk factors such as smoking, stroke, and sedentary life. Regular exercise among cardiovascular patients is seen as building blocks for a quality lifestyle.

The second finding from Framingham Heart Study, which one views as necessary, is that psychosocial factors were established to have effects on heart disease (Boston University & the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, 2020).  The finding is crucial since it has been established that psychological and psychiatric factors have caused an increase in the prevalence of heart diseases in the 21^st century. Psychosocial factors act an essential element in the etiological and development of heart disease. The evidence has shown that stress, anxiety, and depression leads to the development of heart disease. For patients with heart disease such as hypertension, depression, anxiety, and stress are the major causes of frequent admissions following acute hypertension development. Stress, anxiety, and depression result in the subclinical manifestation of heart disease for both non-hypertensive and hypertensive patients. Depressive issues such as the desire to secure employment or concern to fulfill certain obligations in life led to an unhealthy lifestyle. For instance, people with stress, anxiety, and depression had reduced active lifestyle, and most of them engaged in CV risk factors such as smoking and excessive alcohol composition.  Such issues led to the increased cases of morbidity, mortality, and decreased quality of life.

Regardless of the direct association of psychosocial factors to the development of heart disease, its factors are modifiable. Psychological risk factors should be performed to help in the reduction of mortality, morbidity, and enhance the quality of life among the patients with CV. Clinician’s view that the dangerous issues leading to heart disease are genetic factors since they cannot be modified. However, psychosocial factors can be modified to help in the decrease in mortality and morbidity rates. People should be taught in various ways through which they can adjust to psychosocial problems (Tsao & Vasan,  2015). This will lead to the development of preventing measures leading to a reduction in morbidity, mortality, and subsequently enable individuals to live a quality. For example, through teaching people on ways of adjusting to stress, anxiety, and depression, one will decrease or cease alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. As a result, the modifications may prevent one from early heart disease morbidity and mortality rates.

Conclusion

Game-intervention in patients with cardiovascular diseases is crucial, primarily through the use of digital communication gadgets. It helps the patients to perform regular exercise in a social context, thus helping them to learn ways they can use to adhere to the disease. This helps in a reduction in disease morbidity, mortality rates, and improvement. Similarly, psychosocial factors modification can play an essential role in addressing the disease. Such will enable both the hypertensive and non-hypertensive people to learn how they can prevent its morbidity. Such will facilitate a reduction in mortality rate and result in achievement in quality of life.

References

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Boston University & the National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute. (2020). Research milestone-Framingham heart study. retrieved from; https:www.framinghamheartstudy.org/fhs-about/research-milestones/

Framingham Heart Study. (2020).Retrieved from; https://framinghamheartstudy.org/Bottom of Form

Tsao, C. W., & Vasan, R. S. (January 01, 2015). Cohort Profile: The Framingham Heart Study (FHS): an overview of milestones in cardiovascular epidemiology. International Journal of Epidemiology, 44, 6, 1800-13.