Application of Healthy Heart program in the two semi-rural areas in Eskişehir
1Clinic of Public Health, Burdur Central Community Health Center, Burdur
2Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir-Turkey
Anatol J Cardiol 2011; 11(6): 485-491 PubMed ID: 21788203 DOI: 10.5152/akd.2011.131
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Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to raise awareness of people in two semi-rural regions of Eskişehir in terms of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk factors and to promote related heart-healthy behaviors. Methods: The study was a semi-experimental intervention and featured as a two-phase design. In the first phase of the study, participants received visits at home. Individuals in intervention and control areas were given a participation form that indicated the Framingham Risk Score (FRS). Other training materials were distributed throughout the intervention area. The second phase was planned as a nested case- control study. The first phase included 2.766 persons and the second phase included 778 persons. In the evaluation of the data the Pearson Chi-square and Student’s t-test for independent samples, Mc-Nemar Chi-square and the paired t-test for dependent samples were applied. Results: During the first phase, the frequency of FRS metrics above 10% was 26.2% for males, 18.1% for females in the intervention area, 22.9% for males, and 14.9% for females in the control area. There was no difference between males and females in terms of scoring for control and intervention areas (p>0.05). Based on the FRS data, the second phase revealed a decrease of 15.4% in males (p<0.001) and 10.2% in females (p<0.001) in the intervention area and an increase of 8.2% in males (p=0.011) and 3.8% in females (p=0.078) in the control area. Conclusion: In this study, teaching individuals who were older than twenty years of age about cardiac health seemed to be an effective method for decreasing CVD risk factors.