Why Cholesterol Counts Matters
In 2014, the Foundation of the National Lipid Association (FNLA), Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA), and Mended Hearts launched Cholesterol Counts, a program designed to accumulate Internet-based information on how much people know about their cholesterol, how much they care about their cholesterol and whether they are treated if their cholesterol is elevated. The goal of the survey is to get a pulse of cholesterol knowledge in the U.S. and find where gaps may exist. The Cholesterol Counts program not only looks at patients’ knowledge about their LDL levels—often referred to as bad cholesterol—but it helps determine whether healthcare professionals are even discussing bad cholesterol levels with patients.
A previous article regarding Cholesterol Counts shows the first set of results, which have proven to be eye-opening for healthcare professionals across the U.S. In fact, Ralph M. Vicari, MD, a cardiologist and the vice president of the FNLA, says that while the statistics alone are shocking, there are two other pieces of information that should also be of concern for healthcare professionals:
- Thirty percent of the people surveyed under the age of 35 have never had their cholesterol tested.
- Lack of knowledge regarding LDL cholesterol levels was the same among older and younger people.
“I was surprised to see these statistics because there are guidelines in this country that recommend testing at a younger age,” said Dr. Vicari.
Dr. Vicari says that having the poll results readily available will help healthcare professionals improve the gaps that seem to exist in education, awareness and treatment.
According to Dr. Vicari, in 2015 healthcare professionals should strive to:
- Improve communication between patients and physicians
- Train other healthcare providers (nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and medical assistants) to convey to patients their LDL cholesterol levels, as well as what they should be
- Demonstrate the link of LDL to the prospect of having a heart attack or stroke; this is paramount for patient education and understanding
“The initial data from the poll is helpful only if we do something with it,” continued Dr. Vicari. “It’s great to take a poll, it’s great to get numbers, it’s great to look at how bad we are at knowledge, but we need to use this poll to improve patients’ knowledge, healthcare providers’ communication and the whole system of how we look at bad cholesterol as it relates to our health. At this stage, the message for healthcare providers is this: You’ve got to start telling people what their bad, or LDL, cholesterol level is.”
The Cholesterol Counts poll is available online at CholesterolCounts.com and will continue to accumulate data through the end of the year. We encourage all healthcare providers to ask their patients, families, and friends to take the poll. Quarterly results of the poll will be used to create interactive graphics, which will include individual state data.
“We hope to see an improvement in knowledge and awareness by the end of next year, and I hope that people under the age of 35 will not only have been tested but will also know their cholesterol levels,” concluded Dr. Vicari.
Please participate and encourage others to participate in Cholesterol Counts as well.