Behaviors Conducive to Cardiovascular Risk Prevention: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Background Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. In low-income countries, management of these affections is hampered by poor access to quality healthcare hence the importance of primary prevention in Africa. The aim of this literature review was to identify good health behaviors to be adopted by individuals to prevent the onset of cardiovascular disease. Results A total of 25 review articles were selected from Google scholar, Elsevier and Pubmed. Screening for and effective treatment of dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and obesity are essential means of preventing cardiovascular disease. The lifestyle behaviors identified and their associated reduction of cardiovascular risk are respectively, not smoking (40 to 75%); a healthy diet (11 to 59%) consisting of regular consumption of fruit and vegetables, wholegrain cereals, polyunsaturated fatty acids and nuts, and chicken or fish rather than red meat; reducing alcohol consumption to one glass a day (10 to 23%) ,regular moderate to intense physical activity lasting at least 2.5 hours a week( 10 to 30%), reducing salt consumption (23%) while sleep duration of ≤5heures and ≥9 hours can double cardiovascular risk . When combined, these behavioral protective factors potentiate each other and cardiovascular risk reduction can reach 70-90%. Conclusion The adoption of health-care behaviors (screening, early treatment) and a healthy lifestyle (diet, physical activity) reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.