Abstract
Studies on dietary changes and their associated factors are limited, particularly with respect to younger cardiovascular patients. Our objective was to evaluate the factors associated with fruit and vegetable intake among adults with premature acute coronary syndrome (ACS) 1 year after the event. We used data from GENESIS-PRAXY, a multicentre prospective study of adults aged 18–55 years, hospitalised for ACS. Participants were 704 adults from 24 centres in Canada, 1 in USA and 1 in Switzerland. Data were collected through questionnaires and chart reviews at baseline and 1 year post-ACS. Fruit and vegetable intake was low among adults with premature ACS, and remained suboptimal at 1 year post-ACS, with only 21% meeting the minimum recommendations of at least 5 daily servings. The findings suggest that patient lifestyle characteristics, such as the number of hours spent at work and baseline intake are factors that may be associated with the intake of fruits and vegetables. More research is needed to assess effective strategies to increase fruit and vegetable intake among patients with premature ACS so that they meet dietary recommendations.
Acknowledgements
We wish to acknowledge the participation of all patients, and the work of Jasmine Poole and all site coordinators for their dedication to the study.
Declaration of interest
The GENESIS-PRAXY study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Heart and Stroke Foundations of Québec, Nova Scotia, Alberta, Ontario, Yukon, and British Columbia, Canada. SSLLY is supported by a health professional training award from Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS). RP is supported by a CIHR fellowship award. SLB is supported by a FRQS salary award. GT and SSD have Chercheurs-Boursiers-Cliniciens salary awards from FRQS. NAK is supported by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. KLL has investigator support from CIHR and FRQS. LP is funded by a James McGill Chair at McGill University.