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THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
Heart attack<\/a> survivors are more likely to lose weight<\/a> if their spouses join them in shedding excess pounds, new research shows.<\/p>\n “Lifestyle improvement after a heart<\/a> attack is a crucial part of preventing repeat events,” said study author Lotte Verweij, a registered nurse and Ph.D. student at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, in the Netherlands. “Our study shows that when spouses join the effort to change habits, patients have a better chance of becoming healthier — particularly when it comes to losing weight.”<\/p>\n The study included 411 heart attack<\/a> survivors who, along with receiving usual care, were referred to up to three lifestyle change programs for weight loss<\/a>, increased physical activity and quitting smoking<\/a>.<\/p>\n The patients’ partners could attend the programs for free and were encouraged by nurses to take part. Nearly half (48%) of the patients’ partners participated, which was defined as attending at least once.<\/p>\n Compared to those without a partner, patients with a participating partner were more than twice as likely to improve in at least one of the three areas (weight loss<\/a>, exercise<\/a>, smoking cessation<\/a>) within a year, the findings showed.<\/p>\n When the influence of partners was analyzed in the three areas separately, patients with a participating partner were more successful in shedding weight compared to patients without a partner, according to the study presented Thursday at a virtual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology. Such research is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.<\/p>\n But partner participation did not improve heart<\/a> attack survivors’ likelihood of quitting smoking<\/a> or becoming more physically active, according to the report.<\/p>\n “Patients with partners who joined the weight-loss program lost more weight compared to patients with a partner who did not join the program,” Verweij said in a society news release.<\/p>\n “Couples often have comparable lifestyles, and changing habits is difficult when only one person is making the effort. Practical issues come into play, such as grocery shopping<\/a>, but also psychological challenges, where a supportive partner may help maintain motivation,” she explained.<\/p>\n — Robert Preidt<\/p>\n![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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