An At-Home Study on Heart Health And AFib Detection

 

While the world is slowly opening back up after being shut down for months, if you or someone you love is 65 and older, home is where you are still likely spending most your time.

And while at home, you can consider participating in the Heartline Study sponsored by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson in collaboration with Apple. Since the study is completely virtual, there’s no travel necessary to doctors’ offices or anywhere else.

“People can participate from the safety of their home,” says Paul Burton, M.D, Chief Global Medical Affairs Officer at Janssen Scientific Affairs. “They’ll be able to participate in a heart health engagement program with activities that may help improve sleep, fitness and wellness, while contributing to innovative heart health research.”

The study seeks to find whether the Heartline Study app, and heart health features on the Apple Watch, can improve clinical outcomes, including reducing the risk of stroke from earlier detection of atrial fibrillation (AFib). The Heartline Study also has articles and facts to keep you engaged in your heart health.

AFib is a common form of irregular heart rhythm that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates is responsible for 158,000 deaths and 454,000 hospitalizations annually in the U.S. It also accounts for more than one-third of all strokes. However, as Dr. Burton notes, “it can be difficult to diagnose since people often do not experience symptoms.”

Here are some tips that can help you take control of your heart health even while adhering to the stay-at-home order:

• Engage in short bouts of physical activity. AFib incidence increases with age – about 70 percent of AFib patients are between 68 and 85 – and even the slightest activity can improve everything from energy to focus to overall health. One starting point: pacing while doing those virtual chats.

• Eat heart-healthy food. “Fruits, vegetables, and fish or chicken are obvious places to begin,” Johns Hopkins Medicine advises.

• Manage high blood pressure. It’s one of the top risk factors for AFib. Readings above 140 for systolic pressure or above 90 for diastolic pressure are considered high.

Who is eligible for the Heartline study? Those who are 65 or older, have Original (Traditional) Medicare and own an iPhone 6s or later model. Individuals with or without a diagnosis of AFib may qualify. Other eligibility criteria apply.

There are a variety of ways to participate in the Heartline Study. You will need to have an iPhone 6s or newer. Some participants will take part using only their iPhone. Some participants will also be asked to wear an Apple Watch. Those asked to wear a watch will be offered two options: purchase one, or get one on loan for the duration of the study and return it when your participation in the study ends. Johnson & Johnson and Apple are committed to ensuring that participation in the study is not limited based on financial need.

To learn more, and to download the Heartline Study app, visit Heartline.com.

Mental Health of Students Must Figure in Restarting Classes

 

By Amy Braun
For NewsUSA

(NU) – As officials across the nation decide how best to open schools, one aspect too often overlooked is students’ mental health. Awareness of the pressures on our children is the first step towards helping them heal and preparing them to learn.

COVID-19 has left many kids feeling lonely and isolated. Research on the effect of the lockdowns published in the June issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry concludes that young people experiencing loneliness may be as much as three times more likely to sink into depression in the future, but additionally that their mental health could be impacted for at least nine years because of it.

One answer? Since 2003, HealthCorps has worked in high-need schools, supplementing existing health and wellness programs emphasizing physical activity, nutrition, mental resilience and civic engagement. These are teenagers who, even in normal circumstances, experience disparities in access to health services based on their socioeconomic status, geographic region, race or ethnicity – with perhaps predictable results. Specifically, higher rates of chronic disease (including stress) and lower measures of both quality of life and life expectancy.

And yet, through our unique curriculum – created by top heathcare professionals and constantly updated to match students’ needs – the students we work with have flourished. They exercise more, eat better, and practice positive thought. And, yes, they engage with their communities.

Since stress has always been an issue for many of these teens, one of the most requested lessons we were asked to bring to classrooms even before the pandemic hit was  “Bust My Stress.”  And now? Add the coronavirus-induced feelings of isolation to that equation, and you begin to see how fragile our nation’s teens may be.

As one of our Florida students so heartbreakingly told us amid the lockdowns: “I still keep it in, but I still think negative like every night. I cry it out so I won’t have to feel that way again in the morning.”

Building mental resilience has become an increased focus of our work.

Of course, parents have their own role to play in their teenagers’ healing process.

“They can help by reassuring teens that, just because they’re nervous or scared, doesn’t mean they’re really in any danger,” says Mark Goulston, M.D., a HealthCorps advisory board member and widely quoted expert on building a positive culture. “By reminding them that their bodies don’t really understand the fear, and by talking it out and discussing the fear, both the parent and child will feel better and closer.”

The HealthCorps program is delivered by highly trained recent college graduates who are future medical and health policy professionals. They interact with teens on a daily basis – though, these days, virtually – and have developed some simple steps that can help youths through these trying times. Among them:

• Meditate or try deep-breathing methods, which increase your body’s natural ability to relax during high-stress moments.

• Get moving.

• Prioritize sleep.

• Talk things out with someone you trust.

• Do or watch something that makes you laugh.

• Keep a non-judgmental journal to help process thoughts.

• Practice gratitude and positive self-talk.

One last thing. These tips and others, available on our new @teenhealthvibe Instagram channel can also apply to adults.

Amy Braun is the CEO of HealthCorps, a national not for profit providing health and wellness resources to teens, parents and faculty at high-need schools.