Lifestyle factors of a five-year community-intervention program: the Hartslag Limburg intervention.

Background: Community-based health promotion is a widely advocated strategy in public health to favorably alter lifestyle. The aim of this study was to investigate the net effect of a cardiovascular disease-prevention program (Hartslag Limburg) on lifestyle factors after 5 years of intervention (1998-2003).

Methods: In a cohort study, 5-year mean changes in lifestyle factors (energy intake; fat intake; time spent on leisure-time physical activity; walking, bicycling, and sports; and smoking behavior) between subjects from the intervention area (n=2356) and the control area (n=758) were compared for men and women and for those with a low (less than intermediate secondary education) and a moderate (intermediate vocational or higher secondary education) or high (higher vocational education or university) educational level.

Costs of the 'Hartslag Limburg' community heart health intervention.

Background: Little is known about the costs of community programmes to prevent cardiovascular diseases. The present study calculated the economic costs of all interventions within a Dutch community programme called Hartslag Limburg, in such a way as to facilitate generalisation to other countries. It also calculated the difference between the economic costs and the costs incurred by the coordinating institution.

Effect of 5-year community intervention Hartslag Limburg on cardiovascular risk factors.

Background: A widely advocated strategy in public health is community-based health promotion. The aim of this study was to investigate the net effect of a cardiovascular disease prevention program (Hartslag Limburg) on cardiovascular risk factors after 5 years of intervention.

Design: Cohort study comparing 5-year mean change in risk factors between the intervention and reference area.