Downward trends in the prevalence of childhood overweight in two pilot towns taking part in the VIASANO community-based programme in Belgium: data from a national school health monitoring system.

Background: Multilevel approaches involving environmental strategies are considered to be good practice to help reduce the prevalence of childhood overweight.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of VIASANO, a community-based programme using the EPODE methodology, on the prevalence of overweight in two pilot towns in Belgium.

Methods: We analysed data from a national school health monitoring system to compare changes in the prevalence of overweight and obesity over a 3-year period (2007-2010) in children aged 3-4 and 5-6 years in the pilot towns with those of children of the same ages from the whole French-speaking community of Belgium.

Biofeedback on heart rate variability in cardiac rehabilitation: practical feasibility and psycho-physiological effects.

Objective: Biofeedback is a self-regulation therapy by which the patient learns how to optimize the functioning of his autonomic nervous system. It has been applied to patients with various cardiovascular disorders. The purpose of this study was to investigate the practical feasibility and the psychophysiological effects of biofeedback applied to heart rate variability (HRV biofeedback) in order to increase cardiac coherence in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients participating in a cardiac rehabilitation programme.

Are ACE-inhibitors or ARB's still needed for cardiovascular prevention in high risk patients? Insights from profess and transcend.

The HOPE and EUROPA clinical studies have shown that treatment with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, ramipril and perindopril, may reduce the occurrence of major cardiovascular events in patients with proven atherosclerotic disease. The recently published results of the PRoFESS and TRANSCEND trials completed the much needed information concerning the use of an angiotensin receptor blocker for patients at high risk of cardiovascular events. PROFESS compared a therapy of telmisartan 80 mg daily with placebo in patients with a recent ischemic stroke.

[Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice. Belgian Working Group on Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation].

Since more than 15 years, expert groups and various European Scientific Societies have written Guidelines on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention. Because of the rapid evolution of science, it is necessary to adapt regularly these guidelines. The last version dates from 2007 and has been written by the " Fourth Joint Task Force of European and other Societies on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Clinical Practice ".