The Psychosocial Impact of Mass Screening for Cardiovascular Risk Factors

In Leek, a small town in the north of the Netherlands, 428 menaged between 30–33 years were invited to take part ina screening test for cardiovascular risk factors. Questionnaireswere sent to the 267 men who had participated in the screeningtest as well as to the 161 non-participants, in order to gainan insight into the participatory behaviour and the experienceof those involved. The non-participants gave a diversity ofmotives for not taking part but did not admit to anxiety aboutfinding abnormal results. More than half of the participantswho replied (51%, n = 107) were found to have an ‘abnormality’—;thatis they scored on one or more of cigarette smoking, overweight,hypertension, hyperlipoproteinaemia, albuminuna or glucosuria.The supplementary information provided on nutrition and smokingcaused a large proportion of them to claim they had changedto a more healthy life-style after the screening test. Thosewho were under the impression that they had led healthy livesbut were still found to have an ‘abnormality’ wereoften very astonished and sometimes worried about the result.The men without ‘abnormalities’ did not lead significantlyhealthier lives than the rest in terms of exercise, smoking,diet and so on; for them the result might have a ‘certificateof health’ effect justifying their not always healthybehaviour.