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HEALTH COACHING AND HEALTH EDUCATION IMPROVES CHOLESTEROL IN ADULTS 45 -75 AFTER 2-YEARS OF INTERVENTION

Abstract

Megan D. Jones1, Anthony Campitelli1, Ray Urbina1, Jordan Glenn2, Kelsey Bryk2, Josh Gills3 Sally Paulson4, & Michelle Gray1

1University of Arkansas, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, Fayetteville, Arkansas; 2Neurotrack Technologies, Inc., Redwood City, California; 3Rutgers University, Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, School of Arts and Sciences-Newark, Newark, New Jersey; 4St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Edgewood, Kentucky

Dyslipidemia affects roughly 11.5% of adults over the age of 20 with this highest prevalence being in those aged 40 – 59. Those who suffer from dyslipidemia are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Lifestyle behaviors including physical inactivity and a diet high in saturated fats are major contributors. First line treatment for dyslipidemia includes statins in conjunction with increased physical activity and healthy diet changes. Commonly reported barriers for not participating in physical activity or committing to healthy dietary habits include lack of motivation, social support, and knowledge. Health coaching (HC) is a lifestyle intervention designed to give personalized programming to individuals to remove these barriers. Health education (HE) is designed to provide lifestyle behavior educational materials in a format that is easy to read and understand for the general population. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if 2-years of HC or HE improved cholesterol in adults 45 -75 years. METHODS: Adults 45-75 years (N:125) were randomly assigned to a HC group (N=60) or a HE group (N=65) with blood lipid measurements taken at baseline, 4-months, 1-year, and 2-years. Blood (venous) used for analysis was drawn after at least a 3-hour fast and was analyzed using an Alere Cholestech LDX for total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. For 2-years, individuals in HC received 1-on-1 health coaching every 6-8 weeks targeting improvements in self-selected lifestyle modifications. HE received educational emails on lifestyle modifications once every 2 weeks. RESULTS: After 2-years of intervention, HC and HE decreased total cholesterol (main effect for time, p<.05) from baseline to 2-years. Both groups also demonstrated decreases in LDL (main effect for time, p<.05). There were no significant changes observed for either group in HDL. For triglycerides, HC demonstrated a significant decrease from baseline to 2-years (p<.05) while HE did not demonstrate any significant change. CONCLUSION: After 2-years of intervention, HC and HE were effective for decreasing total cholesterol and LDL while maintaining HDL in adults 45–75. However, HC expressed significant decreases in TRG while HE demonstrated no significant changes.

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