Evaluation of a Primary Health Care Intervention for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Rural Andhra Pradesh

STUDY TYPE This project is a community intervention study that will use a large-scale, cluster-randomised design to compare the management of individuals at high cardiovascular risk in villages assigned to receive the cardiovascular prevention program (intervention) and villages assigned to continue usual practices (control). The definition of high-risk for treatment is based on an established history of previous vascular disease -heart attack or stroke- known hypertension or systolic blood pressure > 160mmHg, or the presence of other risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, older age and family history which combined would result in a very high level of risk.

INTERVENTION PROGRAM TO BE EVALUATED The program to be evaluated comprises: (1) simple strategies designed to facilitate the opportunistic identification of high-risk individuals, (2) clinical algorithms for the implementation of proven preventive interventions based on World Health Organisation recommendations (3) a health promotion campaign designed to aid self-identification and self-referral of high-risk people and (4) simple, structured education programs to assist patients to comply with their treatment.

DATA COLLECTION Data to be collected will comprise an interviewer administered questionnaire with demographic details, basic medical history, cardiovascular risk factors, previous cardiovascular disease and any current treatments. This will be followed by a brief physical examination including measurement of blood pressure, heart rate, weight, height, waist and hip circumferences. Urine will be tested using a dipstick in all and all will have a fasting blood glucose assay. Fasting venous blood samples will be collected for assay of cholesterol, glucose and creatinine from a sample of 1,000.