Background:
Health coaching programs, delivered by trained non-medical and medical personnel, and focused on diet and lifestyle counseling, have proven beneficial in both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. These coaching programs, however, have not been tested or validated in South Asians, who have unique dietary and lifestyle habits, and greatly increased risk of coronary artery disease.
Methods:
We examined lipid values in participants who were invited to enroll in the Heart Health Coaching Program at the South Asian Heart Center at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California. Trained volunteer coaches contacted interested participants throughout the year by phone and email to deliver culturally-competent health education on diet, physical activity, and stress reduction. Participants were categorized, based on their level of participation, into three groups: those who did not enroll in the coaching program (non-coached, N=33), those who received some coaching (partially coached, N=145), and those who completed one full year of the program (fully coached, N=558). Fasting lipid measurements were obtained with mean differences being calculated from their baseline and last available follow-up lab test. Paired t-test was used for comparison of baseline and follow-up lab tests within each group. Multivariate age-adjusted analyses incorporated MANOVA to detect for differences between groups.
Results:
There were no significant differences in mean age(43, 42 and 43), mean BMI(25.8, 26.5 and 26.2), or baseline lipid values across the three groups (fully-coached, partially coached, and non-coached respectively). There were significant improvements in total cholesterol(TC) (-5.5±28.4mg/dl), LDL(-4.1±24.3), HDL (1.9±6.4), triglycerides(-16.1±67.3), and TC/HDL ratio(-0.31±0.83) in the fully coached group (p<0.001 for all). The partially coached group demonstrated reductions in total cholesterol(-5.2±27.8, p=0.03), LDL(-8.1±28.0mg/dl, p<0.001), and TC/HDL ratio (-0.42±1.01, p<0.001) with a trend towards increased HDL (4.9±31.3, p=0.06). Non-coached participants did not have any statistically significant differences for any lipid measurement. Coached participants were more likely to improve lipid values than partially coached and non-coached participants (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
Our results suggest the benefit of a volunteer culturally-competent coaching program for South Asians in improving their lipid profile. Benefit was obtained even for partially coached participants. Non-medically trained health coaches may be an effective method to deliver culturally appropriate cardiovascular health messages for South Asians at risk for developing coronary artery disease.
Validation of a Genome-Wide Polygenic Score for Coronary Artery Disease in South Asians