Alcoholprevention in cardiovascular care - an unexplored possibility

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in Sweden.

Reduced alcohol use among patients with cardiovascular disease is associated with improved outcomes and reduced mortality.

Despite evidence supporting health risk with alcohol use, the suggested protective effects of alcohol on cardiovascular disease have evoked great interest. In Sweden there has been very little focus on alcohol prevention in hospital settings in general.

From an international perspective, there is a lack of knowledge of alcohol prevention specifically targeting cardiology.

It is not known how prevalent hazardous alcohol use is among adults admitted to cardiology wards, what level of knowledge patients have of alcohol use as a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and the feasibility of preventive alcohol interventions in this setting.

This project aims to fill these gaps of knowledge and develop the foundation of alcohol prevention in cardiology.The overarching aim is to study the feasibility of preventive alcohol interventions in cardiology services in hospital settings.The project consists of four specific questions:1.

What is the prevalence of hazardous alcohol use among patients with cardiovascular disease treated in general hospitals? Are there group differences associated to gender, age and socioeconomic position?2.

What level of knowledge do patients with cardiovascular diseases treated in general hospitals have of alcohol as a modifiable risk factor for their health? Are there group differences associated to gender, age, socioeconomic position and level of alcohol use?3.

How acceptable are preventive alcohol interventions to patients with cardiovascular diseases treated in general hospitals? Which preferences do they express for alcohol prevention in hospital settings? 4. How do staff view the feasibility of implementing preventive alcohol interventions in cardiology in hospital settings?

Which barriers and facilitating factors do they identify?