Cardiovascular disease control efforts among primary-care physicians--Missouri, 1990.

Nearly half (43%) of all deaths in the United States each year are related to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease (1). CVD is linked to certain risk factors and behaviors, including high blood pressure, elevated total serum cholesterol, cigarette smoking, and physical inactivity (2). Because approximately 70% of the population has at least one contact with a physician each year (3), primary-care physicians are central to health promotion and disease-prevention efforts and early detection of CVD. In May and August 1990, the Missouri Department of Health (MDH) conducted a survey of practicing Missouri physicians to characterize their efforts to identify and control CVD risk factors among their patients.