Cardiovascular risk reduction in men: a nine-year cohort study.

Cardiovascular risk scores improved in a cohort of 500 males aged 20 to 50 years over a nine-year period. The major component of the risk improvement was a reduction in smoking habits. A disappointing finding is the increased number of obese subjects and those not participating in regular exercise. Altering these trends must now be a priority for all health professionals. The effects of community-based and primary care health promotion are likely to be synergistic with those of national mass media campaigns.