Organised by
Organised by
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in Malaysia, with risk factors emerging in childhood. The American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 defines cardiovascular health (CVH) through eight factors: diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep, BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose. While CVH assessments in primary care are critical for long-term CVD prevention, insights from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) including Malaysia remain limited.
: To explore the barriers and facilitators of implementing CVH assessments in children and adolescents in the Malaysian primary care settings.
A qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with policymakers, healthcare professionals (HCPs), adolescents (12-18 years), and parents of children (5-11 years). The Tailored Implementation in Chronic Diseases framework guided data collection and analysis, which used directed content analysis.
Interviews with 51 participants revealed key barriers: limited school health and primary care capacity, resource constraints, insufficient HCP training, scepticism about long-term impact, fragmented care coordination, patient beliefs (lack of motivation, and stigma), and competing organizational priorities. Facilitators were alignment of CVH assessment with existing adolescent health screening programs, supportive HCPs’ attitudes, collaborative teamwork between HCPs, partnership with external organisations, and engagement with community leaders.
Targeted interventions are needed, including enhancing HCPs training, improving post-assessment follow-up care, and better resource allocation for school health teams. Strengthening parental education, leveraging existing guidelines, and fostering partnerships between schools, community and primary care can support CVH integration. A new CVH assessment tool is under study that could be implemented concurrently with progress in these areas.
2024 Malaysian Society of Hypertension All Right Reserved