Celebrating 40 years of the Framingham Heart Study.

The 40th anniversary of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute provided an opportunity to pay tribute to the Framingham Heart Study, the landmark epidemiological study that examined longitudinally the development of coronary heart disease in a general adult population. The Framingham Heart Study pioneered the concept that certain items, known eventually as risk factors, were associated with the development of heart disease. The concept of risk factors spawned a new generation of studies aimed at intervening to reduce the impact of risk factors on health. As part of its celebration of the 40th anniversary--and the 100th anniversary of the National Institutes of Health--the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, sponsored poster and essay contests for Framingham, Mass., students to commemorate the event. This article recaps the history of the Framingham Heart Study, describes the poster and essay contests, and outlines current and future involvement of the NHLBI in school health research.