Author: julie t
Last saved by: Julie Tenner
Company: Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.

Activity 1:  Assessing Your Risk for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
Knowing your personal risk for heart disease and stroke (cardiovascular disease - CVD) can help you make wiser dietary and lifestyle choices to prevent CVD. Complete this activity to help you make more informed decisions.

Directions
This activity is divided into parts A and B. Follow the steps in the directions for each part.

Part A 
•	Explore the website of the American Heart Association website – www.heart.org 
•	When you’re ready, click the red "Warning Signs" on the right.
•	Review the information available. When you’re ready, choose the link for “heart attack” from the top row of conditions to choose from.
•	Review the 6 categories on the page and then choose the link to “Understand your risk of heart attack.” Review the information under “Understanding the terms of risk” and then click on the “heart attack risk calculator” and complete the assessment. You don’t HAVE to register to complete the assessment. Fill in as much info as you know. If you’re not sure, try it more than once and see how risk changes based on varied responses.
If the Heart Association heart attack risk assessment is not working, please use this one: https://www.cardiosmart.org/tools/heart-disease-risk-assessment and still review the information on the Heart Association site. 
•	Respond to the questions below 
1.	What were the overall results of your interactive risk assessment for CVD?
2.	Briefly explain how each of the following factors works on a physiological level to impact your risk for CVD (what’s happening inside the body that increases risk for heart disease?): smoking, overweight/obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and physical inactivity.
3.	Explain whether the assessment results were surprising to you, and whether you are motivated you to make any changes to your lifestyle habits. Describe either way.
4.	What challenges would you have to face in order to make permanent changes in your diet or lifestyle?
Part B 
•	Go to this site to view Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure with DASH  http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf
•	Answer the questions below.

1.	Briefly explain what high blood pressure is; and what are some of the long term complications of uncontrolled hypertension?
2.	What are some of the causes of high blood pressure?
3.	What is the DASH diet? How does it work to lower blood pressure?
4.	What do you think of the DASH eating plan?
5.	Do you know anyone with high blood pressure? If so, find out if they know about or follow the DASH diet. Explain how it has improved blood pressure levels. If you don’t know someone, please use this as a hypothetical question and respond based on what you now know about DASH.