More than half of all women with cardiovascular disease do not perform exercise and the number is growing, a new study says.
Researchers found 61 percent of the 43 million women with heart disease weren’t meeting the physical activity guidelines recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA).
Additionally, healthcare costs were about $4,000 more for women who weren’t exercising compared to those who were.
Around one-third of the US female population has heart disease, and doctors say exercising could help strengthen the heart muscle and manage blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
The team, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, says that physicians need to closely monitor their female patients with cardiovascular disease for signs of inactivity and encourage them to exercise.
A new study from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found healthcare costs were about $4,000 more for women with heart disease who don’t exercise than women with heart disease who do exercise (file image)
Heart disease is the number one killer in every country including the US, and the leading cause of death for women aged 65 and older.
The AHA says exercising could help women reduce their chances of developing the disease, or manage symptoms if they already have it.
About 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity is suggested. That means women could do 30 minutes of brisk walking per day for five days a week and meet the guidelines.
For the study, published in JAMA Network Open, the team looked at data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey between 2006 and 2015
Researchers studied more than 18,000 women with cardiovascular disease between the ages of 18 and 75.
At the start of the study period, in 2006, 58 percent of women with heart disease said they weren’t meeting the AHA’s physical activity guidelines. By 2015, that number rose to 61 percent.
‘It was surprising that it was getting worse,’ Dr Erin Michos, an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told DailyMail.com,
‘The fact that it’s getting worse instead of better, especially in a group that has heart disease, that should be seeing cardiologist and getting recommendations, is troubling.’
Women between ages 40 and 64 were the fastest growing age group not getting enough exercise.
In 2006, 53 percent said they weren’t performing physical activity, which increased to 63 percent in 2015.
Researchers found that African-American and Hispanic women were more likely than Asian and white women to not get enough exercise.
Women that came from a low-income income household, had public insurance or had less than a high school education were almost more likely to not meet the AHA guidelines.
Healthcare costs for women were much higher if they did not exercise, averaging around $12,724 in 2006 and $14,820 in 2015.
Meanwhile, women with heart disease who did exercise had healthcare cost averaging $8,811 in 2006 and $10,504 in 2015.
‘The expense of poor health is tremendous,’ said Dr Michos. ‘Many high-risk women need encouragement to get more physically active in hopes of living healthier lives while reducing their healthcare costs.’
The team says specific interventions should be tailored for the most at-risk groups, including older women and minorities, and they physicians should consistently offer exercise tips.
‘We need to have more targeted outreach to these groups, like through their church communities, exercise groups, smart phone trackers,’ said Dr Michos.
‘We need to stop mopping off the floor and start turning off the faucet. We want to to prevent heart disease in the first place rather than treat it.’