Author Identifier (ORCID)
Simone Radavelli-Bagatini’s ORCID record 
Lauren Blekkenhorst’s ORCID record
Catherine Bondonno’s ORCID record
Abstract
Introduction: The provision of abdominal aortic calcification imaging results can elicit cardiovascular disease risk–reducing behaviors. However, its impact on psychosocial, mental, and suboptimal health measures is less clear.
Methods: Secondary analyses of a previously reported 12-week, single-blind RCT including 240 community-dwelling older Australian males and females were conducted. Participants were provided with abdominal aortic calcification imaging results and cardiovascular disease risk–reducing educational resources (abdominal aortic calcification+education, n =121) or education alone (control+education, n =119). Psychosocial distress, mental health score, and suboptimal health status were estimated using validated questionnaires. Linear mixed models were used to compare changes between groups across 12 weeks.
Results: A total of 240 participants (mean±SD age=67.8±5.0 years; 57.5% female) were randomized, and 227 (95%) completed the study. Approximately 57% had evidence of abdominal aortic calcification (≥1 on a 24-point scale) at baseline. Providing abdominal aortic calcification imaging results to older males and females did not affect psychosocial health, mental health, and suboptimal health measures compared with control+education (all p >0.05). The mean net differences for change (95% CI) for depression, anxiety, and stress were −0.50 (−1.42, 0.42), −0.20 (−0.81, 0.41), and −0.21 (−1.18, 0.76), respectively; the mean net difference for change (95% CI) for mental health component score was 1.69 (−1.29, 4.67), and for total suboptimal health status, it was −0.84 (−2.08, 0.39).
Conclusions: In older males and females, the provision of abdominal aortic calcification, along with education on cardiovascular disease risk factors, did not alter measures of psychosocial, mental, and suboptimal health status over 12 weeks compared with the provision of education alone. The study was registered at www.anzctr.org.au ACTRN12618001087246.
Keywords
mental health, provision of disease risk, psychosocial health, suboptimal health status, vascular calcification, well-being
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
12-1-2026
Article Number
100507
E-ISSN
27730654
Volume
5
Issue
6
Publication Title
AJPM Focus
Publisher
Elsevier
School
Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute / School of Medical and Health Sciences
Funding Information
This research received funding from a Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Preventive and Public Health grant, APP1199751 (2020-2023). LCB is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia Emerging Leadership Investigator Grant (ID: 1172987). MS was supported by a Royal Perth Hospital Research Foundation Fellowship (ID: CAF 00/21) and an Emerging Leader Fellowship from the Western Australian Future Health Research and Innovation Fund. CPB was supported by a Royal Perth Hospital Research Foundation Lawrie Beilin Career Advancement Fellowship (ID: CAF 127/2020) and the Western Australian Future Health Research and Innovation Fund (ID: IG2021/5). JMH was supported by a NHMRC of Australia Senior Research Fellowship (ID 1116973). JRL was supported by National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowships (ID: 102817 & 107323).
Funding received from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
1172987, 1116973
Administering Institution
Edith Cowan University
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Radavelli-Bagatini, S., Blekkenhorst, L. C., Bondonno, C. P., Via, J. D., Sim, M., Gebre, A. K., Dimmock, J., Schousboe, J. T., Woodman, R. J., Zhu, K., Szulc, P., Jackson, B., Wang, W., Schlaich, M. P., Kiel, D. P., Lim, W. H., Devine, A., Sim, M., Daly, R. M., . . . Lewis, J. R. (2026). Psychosocial, mental, and suboptimal health measures are not affected by provision of abdominal aortic calcification imaging results: A 12-week RCT. AJPM Focus, 5(6), Article 100507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.focus.2026.100507