A national survey taken from more than 19 million women in the United States with cardiovascular disease shows that half of them do not do enough physical activity and the number of women who are not active have grown over the last 10 years. This study was conducted by the Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers and the results of their study shows that a campaign to exercise and showing the benefits of being active can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and the health care costs.
The results of the study suggest that women with stroke, coronary artery disease, heart rhythm disturbances, heart failure and peripheral artery disease should talk to their doctors about how to increase and improve their physical activity levels to improve and maintain their health and to decrease the overall health care costs connected to cardiac disability.
According to AHA or to the American Heart Association, heart disease remains the number 1 killer of women in America as there are around 43 million who are affected by the disease. The study notes that the total health care costs among the women who are affected by the disease and are following the physical activity guidelines given by the AHA were 30 percent less than the costs of those who did not follow the guidelines.
"Physical activity is a known, cost-effective prevention strategy for women with and without cardiovascular disease, and our study shows worsening health and financial trends over time among women with cardiovascular disease who don't get enough physical activity," says Victor Okunrintemi, M.D., M.P.H., a former Johns Hopkins Medicine research fellow who is now an internal medicine resident at East Carolina University. "We have more reason than ever to encourage women with cardiovascular disease to move more."
The AHA recommends physical activity to reduce the chances of having a cardiovascular disease and to maintain recovery after a stroke or a heart attack. The standard recommendation is at least 150 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity per week, which is at least 30 minutes of brisk movement per day, around five days a week. For the past few years, studies have shown that men are more physically active than women.
Aside from health risks, it is also shown that having a cardiovascular disease is expensive and it can increase your health care cost.
"The expense of poor health is tremendous," says Erin Michos M.D., M.H.S., associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Many high-risk women need encouragement to get more physically active in hopes of living healthier lives while reducing their health care costs."
