[s1artibartfast]

>Second potential bias is possibly how many patients continued with "bad behaviours" after the surgery vs. the stent.

My understanding is that open heart surgical intervention is much more effective at inducing behavior change.

If so, what does that imply that cardiologists should recommend? Should a more invasive procedure be used, simply for the fact it is more invasive? Should the stenting procedure be made more painful?

[taneq]

> My understanding is that open heart surgical intervention is much more effective at inducing behavior change.

Maybe we should just cane people for eating high-cholesterol diets? Safer than either surgical option! /s

[0x8BADF00D]

Compliance is the biggest challenge w.r.t. becoming healthier. You need either a really compelling reward at the end, or a severe enough punishment to enforce compliance.

[Aeolun]

A really compelling reward: Life

A terribly severe punishment: Death

I don’t think we can really improve upon these to be honest...

[Konnstann]

Those are very abstract, I didn't start watching my sugar intake until a close relative got diabetes, despite the fact I had distant relatives with the disease, I saw it every day, and I consciously understood that it was something to avoid. Unfortunately people don't "get" things until they are too close to avoid, a lot of the time.

[bloodorange]

The problem is that the feedback from the behaviour is not immediate. This is ultimately why it is not easy to be disciplined about a lot of things for which the results are only apparent after a long time. There is no easy way.

[feanaro]

Even though this may be true, it still has little bearing medical policy and treatment.

[Cougher]

I don't know about that (meaning I really don't know, not that I think you're wrong). I know that a lot of time (and money) in nursing and hospital policy is aimed at the huge problem of patient compliance and what can be done to increase it. And I wouldn't doubt for a minute that insurance companies wouldn't love to "influence" policies toward lower-cost interventions using compliance issues as their leverage.