Last update:
19-Sep-2022

OBJECTIVE Investigation of the adherence to the healthy lifestyle of health professionals in primary care in Greece, in relation to the application of the "life's simple 7" (LS7) principles.

METHOD In the first half of 2020, an anonymous questionnaire, including demographic data, lifestyle elements according to LS7 and questions on the knowledge about the benefits of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH), was distributed via e-mail to physicians and nurses working in health centers in the seven Greek health districts.

RESULTS The scores of the participants ranged between 1–14 (mean=8.7±2.4). High scores (9–14) on the CVH scale were recorded by 54.8% of the participants, intermediate scores (7–8) by 25.7% and low scores (0–6) by 19.5%. The levels of CVH score varied significantly, according to the age and the health profession; the levels decreased with increasing age (p<0.001) and a significantly lower proportion of high scores were recorded by nurses than by physicians (p=0.014).

CONCLUSIONS Although the majority of the primary health care professionals participating in the study was aware of the benefits of ideal CVH, high CVH scores were recorded by only a slight majority of the sample. Comparison with the findings of similar European and North American studies shows that Greek primary health care professionals maintain a less healthy lifestyle, mainly concerning modifiable health behaviors.

Key words: Ideal cardiovascular health, Life's simple 7, Primary health care.