Level 5: Lifestyle Risk Factors

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Lifestyle Choices

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Dr. Singh

Now that we've examined the influence of genetic and environmental factors on Emily's risk of heart disease, let's shift our attention to her lifestyle choices. Analyzing lifestyle choices is crucial because they can significantly affect one's likelihood of developing heart disease. Many individuals make choices, like consuming an unhealthy diet or leading a sedentary lifestyle, that elevate their risk of heart disease. Unlike genetic factors, lifestyle factors can often be changed. These changes could significantly lower a person's risk of heart disease. As a cardiologist, I collect data about a person's lifestyle through their intake form. This encompasses information about their diet, physical activity, stress levels, sleep patterns, and substance use. Now, you'll have a chance to review Emily's intake form. best, Dr. Singh

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As you read through Emily's intake form, take note of the lifestyle factors increasing Emily's risk of heart disease. This information will help you determine which preventive measures to share with Emily in the email you send to her.

Lifestyle Factors

Age: 15

Patient's Name: Emily Williams

Diet

Exercise

Stress

Sleep

Substance Use

Click here after you have reviewed the entire intake form.

Read how Emily described her diet on her intake form. What are your initial thoughts? Do you think her diet might put her at risk of heart disease?

Describe your typical diet:

I try to eat healthy, but it is hard. My family is busy, so we eat a lot of convenient foods like chicken nuggets, fries, and pizza. We don't eat a lot of fast food, but I know we could eat better.

To learn more about Emily's diet, I requested that she maintain a food diary for a week, focusing on tracking her daily intake of saturated fats and added sugars. I guided her in analyzing nutrition labels of the foods she consumed to identify these components. Take a look at the label to learn more about saturated fats and added sugars.

Experts recommend that teenage girls consume no more than 17g of saturated fat per day. Emily's daily saturated fat intake is shown on the graph below. Use the graph to assess if Emily exceeds the recommended weekly intake of saturated fats.

Which of the following claims is true?

Emily regularly consumes more saturated fat than the recommended level.

Emily consistently consumes fewer grams of saturated fats than recommended.

Emily frequently eats less than 10g of saturated fats a day.

YOU'RE RIGHT!

Emily consumed more than the recommended amount of saturated fats on 6 out of 7 days a week.

Experts recommend that teenage girls consume no more than 25g of added sugar per day. Emily's daily added sugar intake is shown on the graph below. Use the graph to assess if Emily exceeds the recommended weekly intake of added sugars.

Which of the following claims is true?

Emily regularly consumes more added sugar than the recommended level.

Emily consistently consumes fewer grams of added sugar than recommended.

Emily eats no more than 30g of added sugar per day.

YOU'RE RIGHT!

Emily consumed more than the recommended amount of added sugar every day of the week.

Dr. Luthra: Diet and Heart Disease

Dr. Luthra is going to help us understand more about how lifestyle factors can put people at risk of heart disease. She'll start by explaining how a person's diet can increase their risk of heart disease.

Remember, your job is to help Emily understand her heart disease risks and suggest ways to reduce them. Clear information, like claim, evidence, and reasoning, can guide her in making necessary changes. Use details from Emily's diet to determine which claim, evidence, and reasoning table is correct.

Argument 1

Claim

Evidence

Reasoning

Emily's diet is not a lifestyle factor that puts her at risk of heart disease.

Diets high in saturated fats and added sugars can increase a person's risk of heart disease.

Emily frequently eats high calorie foods with added sugar.

Argument 2

Claim

Evidence

Reasoning

Emily frequently eats foods high in saturated fats and added sugar.

Emily's diet is a lifestyle factor that puts her at risk of heart disease.

Diets high in saturated fats and added sugars can increase a person's risk of heart disease.

GREAT JOB!

You've done well in identifying the right claim, evidence, and reasoning. This information will really help Emily make the needed changes to lower her risk of heart disease.

The Standard American Diet

The Standard American Diet is full of foods high in saturated fats and added sugars. Play this game to learn about some of these foods.

Find the doubles as soon as possible!

PLAY

You Did IT!!

Great Job!

Read how Emily described her exercise habits on her intake form. What are your initial thoughts? Do you think her exercise habits might put her at risk of heart disease?

Describe your exercise habits:

I think I get enough exercise. My brother and I walk to school with friends in the morning, and I usually stay after school for sports practice four days a week. I play tennis in the fall, basketball in the winter, and I run track in the spring. I really enjoy sports!

The CDC recommends that children aged 6 to 17 should participate in at least one hour, or 60 minutes, of daily exercise. Emily's daily exercise levels are displayed on the graph below. Use the graph to determine if Emily gets enough exercise on an average day.

Which of the following claims is true?

Emily's lack of exercise is a lifestyle factor that puts her at risk of developing heart disease.

Emily only gets the recommended amount of exercise on Wednesdays.

Emily exercises for at least 60 minutes most days.

YOU'RE RIGHT!

Emily exercised for 60 minutes or more on 5 out of 7 days each week.

Dr. Luthra: Exercise and Heart Disease

You're right, Emily gets more than the recommended exercise amount on average, however, this isn't the case for many Americans. Listen as Dr. Luthra explains the link between exercise and heart disease.

Use details about Emily's exercise level to determine which claim, evidence, and reasoning table is correct.

Argument 1

Claim

Evidence

Reasoning

Emily's exercise level is a lifestyle factor that puts her at risk of heart disease.

Not exercising increases the risk of heart disease.

Emily does not get enough exercise.

Argument 2

Claim

Evidence

Reasoning

Emily regularly exercises for 60 or more minutes a day.

Emily's exercise level is not a lifestyle factor that puts her at risk of heart disease.

Engaging in regular exercise can decrease a person's risk of heart disease.

GREAT JOB!

You've done well in identifying the right claim, evidence, and reasoning. This information will really help Emily make the needed changes to lower her risk of heart disease.

Read how Emily described her stress levels on her intake form. What are your initial thoughts? Do you think her stress levels might put her at risk of heart disease?

Describe your stress levels:

I've been feeling really stressed for the last year or so. Grandma Jenkins and Grandpa Williams both passed away last year, and my dad just had a heart attack. This has made me really worry about my own health. I also feel a lot of pressure at school because I want to get good grades and also do well at sports. It all feels like a lot sometimes.

Various assessments can gauge a person's stress levels, including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). As Emily mentioned feeling stressed lately, I requested her to complete this assessment. Click on the boxes below to read some of the questions Emily answered about her stress levels while taking this assessment.

In the last month, how often have you been upset because of something that happened unexpectedly?

In the last month, how often have you found that you could not cope with all the things that you had to do?

In the last month, how often have you felt that things were going your way?

In the last month, how often have you been able to control irritations in your life?

I assessed Emily's responses on the PSS to determine if stress increases her risk of heart disease. Her score is 25. Refer to the scale below to determine if stress is a lifestyle factor affecting her risk of heart disease.

Which of the following claims is true?

Scores on the PSS can range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress.

• Scores ranging from 0-13 would be considered low stress.
• Scores ranging from 14-26 would be considered moderate stress.
• Scores ranging from 27-40 would be considered high perceived stress.

Based on her PSS score, Emily has low stress levels.

Emily answered all questions with a 0 which means she has no stress.

Emily's stress levels fall in the moderate range.

YOU'RE RIGHT!

Emily scored 25 on the PSS which falls in the moderate range.

Dr. Luthra: Stress and Heart Disease

Watch the video to hear Dr. Luthra explain the relationship between stress and heart disease.

Use details about Emily's stress level to determine which claim, evidence, and reasoning table is correct.

Argument 1

Claim

Evidence

Reasoning

Emily's stress level is a lifestyle factor that increases her risk of heart disease.

Moderate stress levels can increase a person's risk of developing heart disease.

Emily scored a 25 on the PSS which means she has moderate stress.

Argument 2

Claim

Evidence

Reasoning

Emily took the PSS.

Emily's stress level is a lifestyle factor that increases her risk of heart disease.

Emily scored a 25 on the PSS.

GREAT JOB!

You've done well in identifying the right claim, evidence, and reasoning. This information will really help Emily make the needed changes to lower her risk of heart disease.

seek

Heart and

Stress can impact multiple organs including the heart, brain, and lungs.

PLAY

Peek under the blocks and find the hearts!

FOUND THEM!

Where were the hearts?

You Did IT!!

Great Job!

Read how Emily described her sleep habits on her intake form. What are your initial thoughts? Do you think her sleep habits might put her at risk of heart disease?

Describe your sleep habits:

I'm tired a lot of the time and don't think I get enough sleep. I don't usually get home from school until after 5 and by the time I eat dinner, do my homework, and have a shower it is already 8. Then I like to watch TV and look at facebook or Tik Tok on my phone. I probably don't go to sleep until around 11 or 11:30, then I have to be up at 6 for school.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teenagers aged 13 to 18 should aim for 8-10 hours of sleep each night. Emily's nightly sleep hours are depicted on the graph below. Use the graph to assess if Emily gets enough sleep on an average night.

Which of the following claims is true?

Emily usually gets more than 8 hours of sleep a night.

Emily only gets the recommended amount of sleep on Friday and Saturday nights.

Emily gets the most sleep on weekday nights.

YOU'RE RIGHT!

Emily got less than the recommended amount of sleep 5 out of 7 nights a week.

Dr. Luthra: Sleep and Heart Disease

Watch the video to hear Dr. Luthra explain the relationship between sleep and heart disease.

Use details about Emily's sleep habits to determine which claim, evidence, and reasoning table is correct.

Argument 1

Claim

Evidence

Reasoning

Emily's sleep habits increase her risk of developing heart disease.

Experts recommend getting 8-10 hours of sleep a night to help reduce the chance of developing heart disease.

Emily regularly gets less than 8 hours of sleep a night.

Argument 2

Claim

Evidence

Reasoning

Emily gets more than 8 hours of sleep on Friday and Saturday night.

Emily's sleep habits do not increase her risk of developing heart disease.

Emily gets more than enough sleep two nights a week.

GREAT JOB!

You've done well in identifying the right claim, evidence, and reasoning. This information will really help Emily make the needed changes to lower her risk of heart disease.

Can you find the teenagers who aren't getting enough sleep?

PLAY

Click on each clock to see the average hours of sleep the teenagers are getting a night.

8.6 hours

7.4 hours

8.2 hours

9 hours

6.9 hours

Which group of teenagers needs to get more sleep?

You Did IT!!

Great Job!

Read how Emily described her substance us on her intake form. What are your initial thoughts? Do you think substance use might put her at risk of heart disease?

Describe your substance use:

I've never tried any drugs or alcohol.

Dr. Luthra: Substance Use and Heart Disease

Watch the video to hear Dr. Luthra explain how substance use can increase a person's risk of developing heart disease.

Use details about Emily's substance use to determine which claim, evidence, and reasoning table is correct.

Argument 1

Claim

Evidence

Reasoning

Emily's substance use is a lifestyle choice that increases her risk of developing heart disease.

Using substances like tobacco and alcohol can increase a person's risk of developing heart disease.

Emily regularly uses drugs or alcohol.

Argument 2

Claim

Evidence

Reasoning

Emily does not use drugs or alcohol.

Emily's substance use is not a lifestyle choice that increases her risk of developing heart disease.

Using substances like tobacco and alcohol can increase a person's risk of developing heart disease.

GREAT JOB!

You've done well in identifying the right claim, evidence, and reasoning. This information will really help Emily make the needed changes to lower her risk of heart disease.

Amazing job pinpointing the lifestyle choices posing a risk to Emily's heart health! Remember, lifestyle choices are changeable factors that can significantly reduce her risk of heart disease. Listen to five individuals share recent lifestyle changes. As you listen, think about which of these changes could also benefit Emily.

Emilio

Mitchell

Michael

Amy

Sue

Although all of these peoples' actions could help reduce Emily's risk of heart disease, there are three specific actions that could help given her specific risk factors associated with diet, stress, and sleep. Click on the three people whose actions would also be changes Emily could make to lower her chance of developing heart disease.

Emilio

Mitchell

Michael

Sue

Amy

Think about what you've learned about things people can do to prevent heart disease. Use this knowledge to note down particular steps Emily could take to decrease her risk in your Mission Log. You'll pick one of these lifestyle changes to tell Emily about in an email.

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Preventive Measures

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Dr. Singh

Excellent job using Emily’s intake form to pinpoint lifestyle choices that could heighten her risk of heart disease. We've determined that Emily’s diet is high in saturated fats and added sugar, and she experiences stress and inadequate sleep. The good news is she can make changes! She can adjust her diet, improve her sleep routine, and take steps to manage stress. This is especially important as we know she has a 50% chance of inheriting two conditions that increase her risk. Your next step is to email Emily, detailing the lifestyle risk factors that raise her chances of heart disease, along with one specific change she can implement to reduce her risks. Collaborating with Emily in this way could genuinely make a difference and potentially save her life in the future! It's crucial to approach this communication with empathy and sensitivity, considering how Emily might feel upon receiving this delicate information. It might help to think about how you would want someone to share this information with you. best, Dr. Singh

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Draft an email to Emily in your Mission Log, incorporating what you've learned about her risk factors and the preventative measures to address them. Remember the concepts of claim, evidence, and reasoning, as providing ample evidence will increase the likelihood of Emily making the necessary changes to lower her risk of heart disease.

Bonus: Q&A with Dr. Luthra

What is an interesting fact about you?

How do you become a cardiologist? What was your pathway?

What do you like to do for fun?

What is it like to be a female scientist?

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