Fremantle Primary Prevention study in general practice – a pilot study of risk factor modification for cardiovascular disease

INTERVENTION: Increased General Practitioner contact. Patients were seen at the clinic. No home visits were made. Patients were seen at baseline and then at 3,6,9 and 12 months. Patients were advised at initial consultation that they would need to be seen at 3 monthly intervals and encouraged to make their own appointment at the due date. Patients who attended opportunistically (ie for reasons other than the study) close to the follow‐up date were seen at that time as part of study follow‐up. In some instances telephone or letter reminders were given. At baseline information booklets from the Heart Foundation on healthy living were made available to all participants as were "quit packs" for smokers. Baseline and three month follow‐up involved: review of current smoking status, blood pressure, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, exercise in minutes per week for 5 days, fasting bloods for lipids and glucose, if patients were known diabetics blood tests were done for HbA1c and creatinine and urine for albumin‐creatinine ratio (ACR). Cardiac, diabetic, anti‐smoking and weight reduction medications were reviewed as appropriate. Advice on the importance of giving up smoking, healthy diet and exercise was also given. Referral information to allied health or other specialists were also recorded. CONDITION: Cardiovascular disease risk factor modification PRIMARY OUTCOME: Improvement in cardiovascular risk factors using the New Zealand Risk calculator SECONDARY OUTCOME: Blood pressure using medical equipment Body Mass Index Cholesterol profile through pathology testing Fasting blood sugar through pathology tests General Health Questionnaire (GHQ28) Physical activity through asking patient questions Smoking history through patient questions Waist Circumference INCLUSION CRITERIA: Patients presenting to a General Practitioner