Valutazione dell’efficacia di un intervento di prevenzione e promozione della salute cardiovascolare in comunità attraverso il calcolo del Punteggio Individuale di Rischio: risultati preliminari.

[Autom. eng. transl.] The incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular disease are increasing in developed and developing countries, as are hospitalizations. to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, it is important to promote primary prevention interventions. This prospective experimental study aims to implement prevention and health promotion measures on the population to reduce the impact of cardiovascular diseases and the consequences on morbidity and mortality, evaluating their effectiveness in an exploratory way. Materials and methods The study is ongoing and will last 18 months. The sample was recruited in general medicine clinics in the Torresina-Rome district. Meetings are scheduled with the GP, the community nurse, dedicated professionals (nutritionist, physiotherapist, psychologist), and outdoor events with a coach to promote group physical activity. The interaction between participants, professionals and organizers is promoted through dedicated social channels. At time 0 and during 2-month follow-up anthropometric and blood chemistry data, lifestyles, nutrition, physical activity and psychological well-being are collected; the individual Cardiovascular Risk Score (PRC) is also calculated. The effectiveness of the interventions is assessed on the basis of the variation over time of the collected parameters. Finally, 6 months after the end of the study, the evaluation of the enrolled is expected to determine the ability to self-manage a correct lifestyle over time. Results The sample, 36 (43.9%) males and 46 (56.1%) females, has an average age of 53 years. 44 (53.7%) enrolled participated in at least 3 of the 4 scheduled meetings. The average BMI is 27.4 ± 4.9, with no significant differences in gender, age or smoker status. The PRC at time 0 shows differences (p <0.001) by gender (5.5% of males vs 4.0% of females), by age (1.7% under 50 vs 6.9% over 50) and by smoker status (3.5% non-smokers vs 6.8% smokers). The 2-month follow up shows statistically significant reductions in weight (-1.3 kg), BMI (-0.3), hip circumference (-1.6 cm) and blood pressure (-5/3 mmHg). The 10-year projections indicate a reduction in cardiovascular risk of 41.6% (p <0.001), with an average gain of 5.3 years of life. Conclusions The preliminary results demonstrate the importance of PRC in assessing the risk of cardiovascular events, highlighting significant differences in gender, age and smoker status. The reduction of risk through effective interventions would bring a gain of over 5 years of life. At the end of the study it will be possible, through an extensive analysis of the data collected, to establish the effectiveness of the health promotion interventions implemented, evaluating the reduction of cardiovascular risk to 10 years.