Question

Hello, I am not asking anyone to write a paper for me lol. I just need some help brainstorming a prevention program for Cardiac Arrhythmias. The directions I was assigned are below. Please leave any ideas you have or maybe a paragraph or two of how you would start this part of the assignment. I will have to use references so please keep that in mind when starting a program. Thank you!

A. General Instructions
• Write a 2-3 page paper on a prevention or intervention strategy for a cardiovascular disease that will meet the goals of the National Prevention Strategy. (which are Building healthy and safe community environments; Expanding quality preventive services in both clinical and community settings; Empowering people to make healthy choices; and, Eliminating health disparities)

Develop a prevention program or intervention strategy to combat the disease. Make sure you explain how this strategy will address the disease; does it target a particular risk factor or facilitate behavior change? Be specific.

Discuss- target population for your program (age, race, socioeconomic status, etc.); which of the National Prevention Strategy strategic directions does your program/intervention target? Explain why and how it meets that target, and lastly, discuss the strengths and limitations of your prevention/intervention strategy.

P.S. This is the last paragraph I wrote before starting this section of the essay. Thought it might be helpful Atrial Fibrillation is the most common type of heart arrhythmia, occurring when blood doesn’t flow from the upper chambers to the lower chambers of the heart correctly. It currently affects approximately 2.7-6.1 million people in the United States, with those infected being about 2% below the age of 65 and around 9% above the age of 65 (CDC, 2017).  “Since AF often develops with a background of heart disease, the increased mortality and stroke rates had been attributed to the associated cardiovascular disease (CVD) rather than to the AF itself. The incidence of stroke is increased nearly 5-fold in the presence of AF with average annual incidence rates of stroke varying from 5% to more than 12% depending on age and other associated risk factors” (Benjamin EJLevy, DD’Agostino, RBBelanger).

Answer 1

Develop a prevention program or intervention strategy to prevent Cardiac Arrhythmias, the first step will be to know about the disease and risk factors.

To prevent Cardiac Arrythmias it is important to live a heart-healthy life, which includes:

• Stopping smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke
• Maintaining a healthful weight
• Eating a healthful, balanced, low-fat diet
• Limiting or avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and other substances that contribute to abnormal heart rhythm and other heart problems
• Exercising regularly
• Controlling stress

So it is clear that facilitating behavior change is important for healthy living. Hence the program will have to focus more on awareness about Cardiac Arrythmias and how some of our habits worsens the condition and what is the behavioral changes necessary to prevent it.

Murphy et al found a total prevalence of 8.4/1000 of Atrial Fibrillation, which was higher among men (men 9.4/1000 vs women 7.9/1000). As expected, a strong relationship was found with advancing age, with a prevalence of 0.3/1000 in those aged <45 years, rising to 70.3/1000 in those aged >85 years. Interestingly, these investigators found a lower prevalence of Arial Fibrillation in those with the greatest degree of socioeconomic deprivation, when compared with the more well‐off.

Hence this gives an overall idea of the target audiences. The program should focus more on the elderly, as with advancing age the risk increases. Also sedentary lifestyle in high socio-economic status people is also a factor.

If you want to develop a program focusing on a specific risk it should be smoking and consumption of alcohol. But if you want to develop the program focusing on overall risk factors all the preventive aspects should be taken care of.