Question

A community health nurse teaches a group of older adults about modifiable risk factors that contribute to the development of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The nurse knows that the teaching was effective based on which statement?

Answer 1

Answer:

"I will need to stop smoking because the nicotine causes less blood to flow to my hands and feet."

Explanation:

Peripheral arterial disease is a condition in which narrowing and hardening of the arteries that carry blood to the lower limbs of the body, such as the legs and feet, occur. When blood vessels get too narrow, blood flow can be impaired, leading to a number of complications.

Peripheral artery disease is often caused by atherosclerosis, a condition in which fat deposits build up on the artery walls and impair blood flow. This disease is intensified by smoking, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, among other factors. Smoking, for example, prevents blood flow from flowing efficiently to the feet and hands because of the concentration of nicotine in the bloodstream, a patient who wants to quit smoking to lower the risk of peripheral arterial disease shows that he or she is very knowledgeable about it.