Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Fat Screening Quiz?
It is an in-depth analysis developed by a registered dietitian for Contented Hearts®. She developed the Fat Screening Quiz over years of working with hundreds of clients – men and women – face to face to determine eating patterns and reasons for weight gain. Results shed light on problems related to weight and reasons for being overweight. It is a lighthearted approach to personalize weight loss goals.
What does CUTE stand for?
CUTE stands for Contented Hearts® User Technological Equation. It personalizes the Lifestyle Quiz risk assessment. It is based on accepted scientific studies – such as epidemiologic and population studies. Some risk factors like diet and exercise can be changed and some like family history and age can not be changed. CUTE personalizes of all your risk factors based on answers to the Lifestyle Quiz. Your real numbers are preferred, however, averages are supplied for your convenience, until you know your actual numbers for blood pressure and cholesterol.
Your CUTE count is the overall score you receive from taking the Lifestyle Quiz. A lower score means a better CUTE ranking. Those with a higher score will, on the average, have higher medical costs.
What’s the Lifestyle Quiz?
The Lifestyle Quiz* is a reliable survey for predicting probability of lifestyle related diseases based on individual risk for: age, gender, weight, exercise, family history, cholesterol, blood pressure, stress, enlarged heart, diabetes and smoking. The survey was developed using reliable data from accepted scientific studies. It is a personalized health benefit that you define, measure and control. It is a real time, reliable health risk measurement for individuals & groups. 20% is a high risk score.
How It Works:
1. User informed about Lifestyle Quiz – personalized health survey
2. User takes the Lifestyle Quiz – identifies risk
3. User receives Lifestyle Quiz score & guidelines
4. User receives assistance they prefer based on selected risk guidelines
5. User selects recommendations they prefer including products & services:
A. “Guide to Contented Hearts” (Van Fulpen, DC, Contented Hearts, Inc. Kalamazoo, MI. 1995). New, updated E book is available from most online retailers. See: Buy the Book.
B. Other Selections: You’ll get personalized recommendations based on your guideline preferences that will help you reach your goals, i.e. prospective healthcare savings. Tracking options available with subscription.
What does the Lifestyle Quiz score mean?
Level I – A 20%* score or more is a higher-risk category. Those with this score are strongly advised to contact a physician to further assess risk. This risk level is much higher than average for those with the same answers.
Level 11 – A 10% to 20% score is a relatively high-risk category. Those with this score should speak with his or her physician soon concerning changing lifestyle to decrease risk factors. Efforts to improve risk should begin immediately.
Level III – A 5% to 10% score is a higher than average category for developing certain diseases. Those with this score should determine most significant lifestyle risk factors and modify them to lower risk. Contact a physician or another healthcare expert to assist in altering your lifestyle to lower this risk.
Level IV – A 5% or less is average to below average risk for developing certain diseases. Examine risk factors to determine whether any can be changed to lower riskand keep doing the healthy behaviors that are now part or your lifestyle. NOTE: Children from a family in which a parent has high blood cholesterol or in which a parent or grandparent has had heart disease or heart attack at an early age (at 55 years or younger) should have cholesterol levels tested.
*Probability that 20 out of 100 people in this category will have a metabolic disease within 10 years.
Can I take a quiz more than once?
Please do! We encourage you to re-take the Lifestyle Quiz as often as you’d like. If you’ve followed your guideline preferences and want to check your progress (or if you just have a desire to take the quiz again) then by all means, go for it! It’s your CUTE factor and the scoring will reflect the measure of your CUTE factor any time. Remember the lower your score the higher your CUTE factor.
Where do quiz results and guidelines come from?
Your Lifestyle Quiz score is based on validated research data and studies, meaning that scientists have figured out scoring that reflect the most accurate results. Re taking the quiz is feedback to help you reach your goals. Your quiz results and guidelines will show up on your personalized CUTE page (completely private), where you can view them anytime.
What’s my CUTE Page?
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill tracking page; it’s unique. First of all, it’s 100 percent private. No one can see it but you. Secondly, we do all the work for you—we track your quiz scores, crunch your CUTE factor numbers and track your outcomes measurements. Think of this as your personal guideline implementation hub, or your totally personalized window into your goals, progress and CUTE alerts, rewards, recommendations, savings.
Who are the Experts?
We’ve gathered information from experts in health and science including nutritionists, physicians and exercise specialists – multiple disciplines. We think the experts have done great work and we think you will too. Members of our scientific community work closely with our technology development team to perfect the content we deliver to you.
What is CUTE Factor Tracking?
It’s your information hub, where you track your outcomes get personalized aspects of your health and well being guidelines: Weight, Stress, Exercise, Cholesterol, Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Nutrition, Diet, and Problem Solving .There’s also a liquid feedback section.
Risk Factors Included In Contented Hearts®
A. Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. Blood pressure rises and falls during the day. When blood pressure stays elevated over time it is called high blood pressure or hypertension. It is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard; kind of like water pressure in a hose when the flow is interrupted and you have to keep turning up the pressure to get the water through.
Generally a blood pressure level of 140/90 mmHg is considered high. Blood pressure between 120/80 mmHg and 139/89 mmHg is considered pre hypertension. Diet and exercise influence blood pressure control.
B. Stress
Stress adds up in your body like calories, which are units of body heat. Stress number one is not the same as stress number two. Generally stress is tied to the systolic or the top number in a blood pressure reading. Exercise can help reduce stress. Stress raises blood pressure, blood glucose level and cholesterol level as your body prepares to ‘fight or flee’ the stressor.
C. Cholesterol
A total blood cholesterol level of under 200 mg/dl is considered desirable. A blood cholesterol level of 240 mg/dl is high and increases your risk of heart disease. Diet and exercise influence cholesterol control.
D. Age
According to research risk of developing heart disease increases with each decade.
E. Gender
Blood cholesterol levels in both men and women begin to go up around age 20. Before menopause, women have lower levels than men of the same age. After menopause women’s cholesterol levels go up and so do risk levels.
F. Cigarette Smoking
Red blood cells work to rid the body of carbons found in cigarette smoke when they could be delivering oxygen. Cigarette smoke delivers substances directly into the blood, through the lungs, which affect the arteries, making them more susceptible to developing blockages. Quitting smoking almost immediately reduces risk for heart attack and smokers can almost return to the level of risk as someone who has never smoked in five years or less.
G. Family History
Children from’ high risk’ families, in which a parent has high blood cholesterol (240 mg/dl or above) or in which a parent or grandparent has had heart disease at an early age (at 55 years or younger), should have their cholesterol levels tested and should control other risk factors for heart disease. If a child from such a family has a cholesterol level that is high, it should be lowered under medical supervision, primarily with diet, to reduce the risk of developing heart disease as an adult.
H. Diabetes
Diabetes confers a high risk of heart disease within ten years. This is in part because of its frequent association with multiple risk factors, but also because diabetes causes changes in arteries and metabolism, which promote the formation of blockages. Controlling blood sugar is essential to reducing risk for heart disease.
I. Weight
Being 20 or more pounds overweight is associated with a number of health problems, including impairment of cardiac function due to increased work of the heart, left ventricular dysfunction, hypertension, diabetes, renal disease, gall bladder disease, joint disease and gout, abnormal lipid and lipoprotein concentrations and problems with the administration of anesthetics during surgery
J. Exercise
Exercise improves arterial function, decreases arterial inflammation (associated with heart attack and formation of blockages), increases muscle strength and endurance, lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels and raises HDL, promotes weight loss, prevents or relieves back pain, alleviates stress, increases self confidence, prevents and alleviates anxiety and depression and reduces health care costs. Recommended frequency and duration of exercise is 30 minutes or more every day or almost every day of the week.
K. Enlarged Heart
An enlarged heart can be associated with many disease conditions. It should be evaluated and treated by a physician.
How do you create content for your site?
Some of the content for the site comes from the Guide to Contented Hearts: Cardiac Risk Management. Other data is created by visitors to the site.
What if I have a comment on the site and how it works?
You will see a “feedback” tab on the left side of any page of the website. Click on this to send a comment.
What if my question isn’t on the FAQ page?
For specific questions visit our Contact Us page. We welcome your feedback.
What is Contented Hearts.com?
Contented Hearts.com is a website founded on the principle that real cost savings in healthcare comes from staying in a “healthy” zone or health risk category you help define. Here, contentment and well being is a reflection of your lifestyle choices and preferance. There’s real science behind contentment, and we aim to share it with you. With fun and in-depth quizzes, you’ll learn ways to look and feel your best. And that’s what being content is really about. We first dreamed up the idea for contentehearts.com with our personalized health management book, “Guide to Contented Heart: Cardiac Risk Management.” We are all about sharing the science behind the health guidelines that make you feel great. And offer real cost savings. Read more about “Guide to Contented Hearts” in Buy the Book. Samples can be found online.
How do I sign up for the Lifestyle Quiz and what does this mean?
Signing up is simple! You can be a guest or sign up for a one-year subscription to track your Lifestyle Quiz guidelines and CUTE factor scores – as your answers change, your CUTE factor measures and tracks your improvements and guidelines implementation you prefer. You provide your email address, a display name and password you’ll use on the site. This will allow you to take and re-take our quizzes, access your (private) profile and recommendations.