Srey 1
Brittani Srey
Professor Theresa Simonsen
ENGL 1010-009
4 August 2015
Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease, also commonly known as heart disease, is the number one leading cause of deaths in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, about 610,000 die of heart disease each year, which is about one in four total deaths in the United States. Heart disease is a serious health concern that can affect both men and women alike. The most common occurring type is coronary heart disease as it results in more than half of the six hundred thousand deaths due to the disease. As the number of deaths due to cardiovascular disease continues to rise each year, it is becoming more recognizable to the public. Typically, symptoms of cardiovascular disease affect adults who are middle aged; however, it has become more prevalent in children and young adults (CDC, “Heart Disease:
Facts and Statistics”). Without making a change in a person’s lifestyle, such as eating habits, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity, people will become more susceptible to developing debilitating health complications and cardiovascular disease at an earlier age.
One of the major health concerns for children is developing heart disease, which can be linked to factors such as unhealthy eating habits at an early age, lack of physical activity, and as a result of genetics in unhealthy pregnant women. In a cross-sectional study done by the Online
Brazilian Journal of Nursing, children with congenital heart disease are monitored by two expert pediatric cardiology nurses in a public hospital (Silva et al. 162). Among the eighty-two participants monitored, Ventricular Septal Disease (VSD), categorized as an acyanotic heart

Srey 2 disease, was one of the more common diseases from an associated list of seventeen total heart diseases found in children. “A study of nursing diagnoses of hospitalized children with congenital heart disease… identified VSD as the most prevalent congenital heart disease, primarily affecting male children” (Silva et al. 167). Among the study, it was found that the most common age groups to have the disease detected were in infants and newborns, respectively.
Furthermore, not only does cardiovascular disease affect children, but it can also affect women, more specifically pregnant women are risk. Women who are pregnant or are planning on becoming pregnant in the future should take in to consideration the modifiable risks for cardiovascular disease. Modifiable risks include lifestyle factors such as being overweight or obese, smoking, which increases a women’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 25%, and high levels of sodium consumption leading to elevated blood pressure or hypertension (Odle
42). These risk factors can affect both the woman and the infant during her pregnancy.
Congenital Heart Disease, also known as CHD, affects both women and children. In a study conducted on women who have congenital heart disease and were also pregnant at the time, it was concluded that “In several recent pregnant registries, CHD was the most common form of heart disease complicating pregnancy in the Western world…” (Brickner 1).
An additional study conducted by Sun Hur, Byung-Jun Cho, and Seon-Rye Kim compared the effects of exercise participation on psychosocial risk factors and cardiovascular disease in women. The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not exercise was linked to decreasing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The forty-six women who participated in the study were randomly assigned into one of the following four groups: Type D personality and exercise, Type D without exercise, non-Type D with exercise, and non-Type D without exercise. The women who were a part of the two exercising groups participated in

aerobic exercise, meditation, running on a treadmill, and stretching prior to exercising for a
Srey 3 minimum of ten minutes. Following the study, participant’s from each groups blood samples were processed and weight, percent body fat, social support, and waist circumference were also analyzed. As a result, rates for anxiety and depression were significantly lower in those who participated in regular exercise, than that of those who did not participate in exercise, thus, causing the risk factors of cardiovascular disease to be much higher in the latter group (Hur, Cho, and Kim 2).
Another of view is an experimental study on cardiovascular disease and obesity, which was conducted in a four week intervention done by Lesley Cottrell, Emily Spangler-Murphy,
Valerie Minor, Amia Downes, Paula Nicholson, and William A. Neal. In the study titled the
“CARDIAC-Kinder Project,” a total of four hundred thirty-seven children in kindergarten were surveyed, as well as their parents. The average or mean ages of parents and children, body mass index, also known as BMI, amount of physical activity, parent education, family health history for both cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and other demographics of the children and their parents were taken into consideration. Over the span of the four week experiment, the parent’s and children’s activity levels were monitored through the average amount of steps each took weekly, as well as the child’s dietary intakes of fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, and sweets. As a result, Cottrell et al. concluded that based on a graph depicting the actual body mass indexes of the children compared to the parental perception of their weight, the average percentile showed that parents who believed that their children were at a healthy weight were in fact at a healthy weight for their age. However, of the four hundred thirty-seven people surveyed, an overwhelming 95.8% of the children who were perceived as a normal weight by their parents were actually already at risk for being overweight (Cottrell et al. 601).

Srey 4
In my opinion, I believe that prevention and modification to a person’s lifestyle is the key to not developing cardiovascular disease. As Odle demonstrates in her article, “Women and
Heart Disease,” non-modifiable, modifiable, and potentially modifiable risk factors are all contributing to cardiovascular disease. However, it is the modifiable and potentially modifiable risk factors that can contribute to preventing heart disease by encouraging a healthy lifestyle at an early age. An example of a modifiable risk factor could be choosing to eat more nutrient dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts when snacking throughout the day. Rather than consuming candy, potato chips, and carbonated beverages, which are all high in extreme amounts of sodium and sugar additives, opting for healthier foods is a much better alternative for snacking as it is beneficial to people of all ages. Another instance could be promoting physical activity and encouraging children to exercise daily. It is my belief that the education of modifiable risk factors and cardiovascular disease awareness are instilled upon in children and young adults at an early age, as it could potentially help prevent developing the disease in the future.
In summation, all of the above studies are valid arguments on cardiovascular disease. The topics of each viewpoint vary from the effects of physical activity, to daily dietary consumption, to age and gender. Although cardiovascular disease is not entirely preventable due to family and genetic history, many cases of the disease are often induced by a person’s lifestyle and dietary choices beginning at a young age. Public awareness on the importance of physical activity, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and the harmful effects of cardiovascular disease can help lead to simple changes in a person’s lifestyle, which can significantly aid in the prevention of developing the disease and other health problems. By educating children about maintaining a healthy diet, lowering the rate of obesity, and encouraging daily physical activity, it will aid in

Srey 5 the prevention of debilitating health complications such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease in their futures.

Srey 6
Annotated Bibliography
Appel, Lawrence J, et al. “The Importance of Population-Wide Sodium Reduction as a Means to
Prevent Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke”
American Heart Association Journals
Circulation 123.10 (2011): 1138-1143. Web. 5 August 2015.
<http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/123/10/1138.short>
Sodium has been shown to increase a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease and stroke. When consumed at high levels daily, it can lead to elevation in high blood pressure, often resulting in hypertension as a long-term effect. Consistently high blood pressure is a symptom that can lead to further debilitating health complications such as stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and kidney disease. However, by limiting or reducing sodium intake in one’s diet, it can drastically decrease the chances of developing cardiovascular disease. This article issued by the American Heart Association, focuses on the evidence of limiting excess sodium intake on blood pressure in over fifty adults, children, and adolescents. The results in a meta-analysis show that blood pressures were significantly lower when sodium intake was reduced.
Brickner, M, Elizabeth. “Cardiovascular Management in Pregnancy: Congenital Heart Disease.”
Circulation 130.3 (2014): 273-282. Web. 5 August 2015.
As the overall population of those with cardiovascular disease begins to increase, it is said that women who have congenital heart disease can often lead to complications during pregnancy.
Pregnant women that have Adult Congenital Heart Disease, also known as ACHD, should be monitored by a general doctor as well as cardiologist specializing in chronic congenital heart disease. In the article, Brickner discusses the increased health risks in pregnant women due to congenital heart disease, as well as genetic and environmental risk factors, post-pregnancy monitoring, and termination.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Heart Disease Facts.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015). Web. 5 August 2015.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also known as the CDC, is regulated by the
United States Department of Health and Human Services. They are known for providing facts, statistics, risk factor, and prevention about several important health diseases and conditions. As reported by the CDC, heart disease is a specific condition that affects about one in four deaths within the United States each year.
Coronary Heart Disease. “Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease.”
Coronary Heart Disease
(2015): 6-17. Web. 5 August 2015.
Coronary Heart Disease, which can also be referred to as CHD, is the most common type of cardiovascular disease. Coronary heart disease has typically been linked to adults of older age, cigarette smoking, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, obesity, and high blood pressure or hypertension. This article discusses the unmodifiable risk factors such as age, gender, family and personal history of heart disease and amendable risk factors that are often involved in developing cardiovascular disease.
Cottrell, Lesley, Sprangler-Murphy, Emily, Minor, Valerie, Downes, Amia, Nicholson, Paula, and Neal, William A. “A Kindergarten Cardiovascular Risk Surveillance Study:

Srey 7
CARDIAC-Kinder.” American Journal of Health Behavior. 29.6 (2005). 595-606. Web.
5 August 2015.
This study conducted by Lesley Cottrell and their other colleagues was on kindergarten aged children and their parents over a four week period. The purpose of the study is aimed at increasing physical activity among families and encouraging parent education about healthy diets for their kindergarten aged children.
Hur, Sun, Cho, Byung-Jun, and Kim, Seon-Rye. “Comparison of the Effects of Exercise
Participation on Psychosocial Risk Factors and Cardiovascular Disease in Women.”
Journal of Therapy Science 26.11 (2014): 1795-1798. Web. 5 August 2015.
Exercise participation has been linked to decreasing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In this article, Sun Hur and two other colleagues compare the effects of exercise on psychosocial risk factors and cardiovascular disease in women. The women who were tested were shown to be of Type D personality, where they exhibit both normal and stable personality traits as well as negative affectivity and social inhibition traits. This specific personality has been related to the development of cardiovascular disease. However, with regular aerobic exercise, cardiovascular disease risk factors and levels of stress have both decreased and improved, respectively.
Mayo Clinic Staff. “Diseases and Conditions: Heart Disease.” Mayo Clinic (2014). Web. 5
August 2015. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heartdisease/basics/definition/con-20034056>
This article discusses the condition of cardiovascular disease, commonly referred to as heart disease. It describes the disease in depth, as well as defining the symptoms involved with development, risk factors, further health complications, prevention, and treatment of the disease.
National Institutes of Health. “How Does Heart Disease Affect Women?”
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (2014). Web. 5 August 2015.
<http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hdw>
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, backed by the United States National Institutes of
Health is a credible and reliable source for acquiring information on topics related to the cardiovascular system. Specifically, this article discusses the effect of cardiovascular disease on women within the United States. The article defines the common types of heart disease, known as coronary heart disease and describes conditions such as atherosclerosis and angina in depth.
Odle, Teresa, G. “Women and Heart Disease.”
Radiologic Technology 85.1 (2013): 37-60. Web.
5 August 2015.
In this article, Teresa G. Olde compares the differences in cardiovascular disease between men and women. However, the main focus of this article is the awareness of heart disease risk factors in women. According to Olde, women have been shown to be two times more likely at risk than men are for dying from a stroke, due to the development of chronic cardiovascular disease. This article is a credible source as it has been scholarly peer reviewed and published.
Roger, Véronique L, et al. “Executive Summary: Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2012
Update.”
American Heart Association Journals Circulation 125.1 (2012): 188-197. Web.
5 August 2015. <http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/125/1/188.full#ack-1>

Srey 8
The American Heart Association is a nationally accredited organization known for publishing health information on the heart and scientific journals backed by research. Each year, the
American Heart Association in conjunction with the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the
National Institutes of Health, and other government agencies publishes its annual “Executive
Summary” on cardiovascular disease and stroke statistics. In the publication, it summarizes a definition of cardiovascular disease, arrhythmia, risk factors, economic cost, and nutritional care.
Silva, Valéria, Gonçalves, et al. “Terms of Nursing: Human Responses of Children Hospitalized with Heart Disease – A Cross-Sectional Study.” Online Brazilian Journal of Nursing 13.2
(2014): 162-170. Web. 5 August 2015.
In 2013, the Online Brazilian Journal of Nursing published an article titled, “Women and Heart
Disease.” The article describes the characteristics and medical records of children who have been hospitalized, due to congenital heart disease. The cross sectional experiment was done in a public hospital of eighty-two various participants for a minimum of forty-eight hours and was conducted by two expert pediatric cardiology nurses. This article is a credible source, as it has been scholarly peer reviewed and published.