Personalized Cardiovascular Risk Information to Initiate and Maintain Health Behavior Changes (FIMDM_CVD)

Patients at high risk for CVD events frequently underestimate their risk. Programs to improve CVD outcomes have largely focused on single risk factors and do not contextualize the information with a patient's global risk. An easy, accessible strategy to address global CVD risk based on personalized risk communication feedback with assistance with initiating and maintaining health behaviors has several advantages, but has not formally been tested. A patient's perceived risk of stroke or heart attack is an important factor in understanding motivation for risk reducing behaviors. Lower perceived risk has been associated with poorer adherence to recommended health behaviors. Additionally, a person's beliefs about his or her risk for a disease increased the likelihood of a more informed and activated patient, and figures prominently in models of health behavior (e.g., Health Belief Model). People tend to underestimate their own risk; Therefore providing accurate risk communication has the potential to activate patients to initiate and maintain behavior changes.