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Brust, M.; Gebhardt, W.A.; Numans, M.E.; Kiefte-de Jong, J.C. (2021)

The COVID-19 Crisis as a Teachable Moment for Lifestyle Change in Dutch Cardiovascular Disease Patients

Article / Letter to editor
Objective: When lifestyle changes are needed, life events or crises such as COVID-19 may function as "teachable moments". This study aimed to explore whether the pandemic can provoke a teachable moment regarding lifestyle change in cardiovascular disease patients. Method: In this cross-sectional survey study, 830 cardiovascular disease patients reported their intentions to change lifestyle, instigated by the corona crisis, together with risk perception, affective impact, and changed self-concept, based on a "teachable moments" framework. Results: Between 8 and 28% of the sample reported increased intentions to optimize lifestyle behaviors, particularly related to general lifestyle (28%), physical activity (25%), and diet (21%). Multivariate regression analyses revealed that changed self-concept was associated with higher intentions to improve general lifestyle (B = 0.26; CI = 0.19-0.33), physical activity (B = 0.23; CI = 0.16-0.30), and smoking (B = 0.29; CI = 0.01-0.57). In...Show moreObjective: When lifestyle changes are needed, life events or crises such as COVID-19 may function as "teachable moments". This study aimed to explore whether the pandemic can provoke a teachable moment regarding lifestyle change in cardiovascular disease patients. Method: In this cross-sectional survey study, 830 cardiovascular disease patients reported their intentions to change lifestyle, instigated by the corona crisis, together with risk perception, affective impact, and changed self-concept, based on a "teachable moments" framework. Results: Between 8 and 28% of the sample reported increased intentions to optimize lifestyle behaviors, particularly related to general lifestyle (28%), physical activity (25%), and diet (21%). Multivariate regression analyses revealed that changed self-concept was associated with higher intentions to improve general lifestyle (B = 0.26; CI = 0.19-0.33), physical activity (B = 0.23; CI = 0.16-0.30), and smoking (B = 0.29; CI = 0.01-0.57). In addition, changed self-concept and affective impact were both significantly associated with higher intentions to improve diet (resp. B = 0.29; CI = 0.21-0.36 and B = 0.12; CI = 0.04-0.21) and to limit alcohol consumption (resp. B = 0.22; CI = 0.13-0.30 and B = 0.11; CI = 0.01-0.20). We did not find evidence for an important role of risk perception on behavior change intentions. Conclusion: The COVID-19 crisis evoked a potential teachable moment for lifestyle change in cardiovascular disease patients, driven by a change in a patient's self-concept and to a lesser extent by an affective impact of the COVID-19 crisis. These results suggest an important window of opportunity for healthcare professionals to utilize the pandemic to promote a healthy lifestyle to their patients.Show less
COVID-19
lifestyle
behavior change
cardiovascular disease
prevention
All authors
Brust, M.; Gebhardt, W.A.; Numans, M.E.; Kiefte-de Jong, J.C.
Date
2021-06-22
Journal
Frontiers in Psychology
Volume
12
DOI
doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678513