About 79% of couples had lower than ideal risk rates for the heart, mainly due to poor nutrition and lack of exercise, according to the study. While most health and disease prevention programs are focused on individuals, Maura said the study shows that behavioral change can benefit both the target person and his other significant person. The new study found that they often have the same behaviors and the same risk factors that can lead to heart disease. The study found that only 12% of people have an ideal level of heart health. The researchers studied the risks of heart disease and the lifestyle of nearly 5,400 couples in the United States who participated in the employee welfare program. Although more than half of them were in the ideal category for smoking, general cholesterol and blood sugar on an empty stomach, more than a quarter were considered harmful to BMI and proper exercise. According to her, several factors can influence a person’s choice of food, including the food they grew up with, their economic situation, and in-store marketing, which can direct a buyer to a particular food choice. Participants’ scores, individually and in pairs, were rated poor, mediocre or ideal for each of the risk factors. Between October 2014 and August 2015, couples joined the corporate health assessment program. She said that people often choose a couple that is very similar to them, either because they are in a similar economic situation or because they have common interests such as exercise. Jenny Nielsen, a professor at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, assessed the results. Other studies have shown that the spouses of people who participated in the weight loss program have also lost weight during this period,” she said. “The good news is that some of them, 1 out of 5 [couples], were perfect, but the fact that 4 out of 5 are not perfect in this category is really worrying,” said co-author Dr. Researchers, who also tracked about 2,200 of these couples through five risk assessments that continued until 2018.