USPSTF Continues to Recommend Behavioral Counseling for Cardiovascular Risk Factor Modification

Background

The USPSTF has updated its 2014 practice guideline on behavioral counseling to modify cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (NEJM JW Gen Med Nov 15 2014 and Ann Intern Med 2014; 161:587) and now focuses on adults with hypertension, elevated blood pressure, dyslipidemia, or a mixture of risk factors including metabolic syndrome or estimated 10-year CVD risk ≥7.5%. Other risk factors such as smoking, abnormal blood glucose levels, and obesity are addressed in other guidelines. The behavioral interventions included in this update involve in-person counseling (either individual or group) provided by a range of healthcare professionals for a median of 12 sessions …