Intervention against ischaemic heart disease risk factors in primary health care in a semi-rural community. The population study "50-year-old people in Kungsör".

OBJECTIVE

To see whether a program for screening and intervention against ischaemic heart disease (IHD) risk factors could be integrated into the ordinary work of a primary health care centre.

DESIGN

Longitudinal population study with baseline screening, intervention, and one-year follow up.

SETTING

Kungsör, a semi-rural community in mid-Sweden.

PARTICIPANTS

All 50-year-old men and women in Kungsör.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Feasibility, participation rate, change of traditional IHD risk factors and self-assessed well-being measures.

RESULTS

Blood pressure and serum cholesterol were significantly reduced. Smoking rates and BMI were not affected. The advice given had the same effect, whether given by the doctor or the nurse. Videotaped information had no further effect on the risk factor levels. There was no obvious evidence of negative psychological effects of screening and intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

Primary health care provided an excellent base for the study and the project could be performed within the ordinary setting. The risk reduction was of a similar magnitude to that in the large-scale preventive trials without any evidence of negative psychological effects of screening and intervention.