Cardiovascular risk factor changes in the Kilkenny Health Project. A community health promotion programme.

The Kilkenny Health Project was a community research and demonstration programme which aimed to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease in a county in the south-east of Ireland with a total population of approximately 70,000. The health promotion programme was carried out in Kilkenny from 1985 to 1992. Outcome evaluation was by means of population surveys of independent samples of men and women aged 35 to 64 years in Kilkenny (n approximately 800) and in the reference county (n approximately 600) in 1985/1986 and in 1990/1991. Survey methods for health behaviour questionnaires and risk factor measurements were similar to those of the WHO MONICA Project. Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) declined significantly (P < 0.01) in men and women in both counties, from 144.0 by 5.4 mmHg and from 143.2 by 5.4 mmHg in men and from 139.5 by 7.7 mmHg and from 136.5 by 6.6 mmHg in women in the intervention and reference counties. The prevalence of hypertension declined from 23.1% by 2.8% and from 26.1% by 6.0% in men in the two counties. Prevalence declined from 24.1% by 6.2% (P < 0.05) in women in the intervention county but was unchanged, increasing by 0.5% from 17.5%, in women in the reference county. Mean serum total cholesterol declined from 6.04 mmol.l-1 by 0.09 mmol.l-1 and from 6.00 by 0.44 mmol.l-1 (P < 0.01) in men and from 6.01 by 0.36 (P < 0.01) and from 5.90 by 0.31 (P < 0.01) in women in the intervention and reference counties, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)