ISSN:
1573-3610
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract This report describes a community-based cardiovascular risk-reduction program which targeted high-risk individuals. A total of 1,471 individuals participated and were screened for blood pressure, fasting serum cholesterol, blood glucose level, and appearance of the serum. These individuals also completed a questionnaire regarding their knowledge of heart disease. Overall, 522 (35.5%) individuals had a cholesterol level of 240+ mg/dl; 261 (17.7%) had hypertension; 118 (8%) had a glucose level of 120+ mg/100 ml blood; 266 (18.1%) smoked; and the serum was evaluated as “turbid” or “lipemic” in 105 (7.1%). Therefore, of the 1,471 individuals examined, 733 (49.8%) could be considered “at risk” due to the presence of one or more risk factors. Interestingly, 73% of respondents knew their blood pressure, whereas only 15% and 12%, respectively, knew their cholesterol and glucose levels. Eighty percent of the sample knew that smoking, hypertension, and cholesterol were risk factors, but only 50% of the sample identified diabetes as an independent risk factor. Contrary to expectation, knowledge of heart disease and diabetes wasnot related to either initial level or change in cholesterol at 18-month retest. Overall, these results indicate that a community screening program can identify high risk individuals at a relatively low cost, and that knowledge of risk factors and disease is not related to initial risk status or self-initiated change in risk status.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01324363
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