Prevention in practice: results of a 2-year follow-up of routine health promotion interventions in general practice

BACKGROUND.: The effectiveness of health promotion activity in general practiceon risk factor reduction for coronary heart disease remainsthe subject of active debate. OBJECTIVE.: The study aimed to assess the impact of practice-based healthcheck-ups on health behaviours over a 2-year period. METHOD.: A general practice cohort of 7123 patients from 18 practiceswas surveyed. Eight hundred and forty (12%) patients had beenoffered a heafth check within a 12-month period from September1992 and 621 (9%) received one. Two hundred and fifty patients(40%) were asked back for follow-up after their health check. RESULTS.: Over a 2-year period there was no difference in smoking cessation,alcohol consumption, weight loss nor the amount of exercisetaken between those who attended for a health check and thosewho did not. The food score chosen to assess dietary change(Oxcheck) showed a statistically significant 1.16-point risefor the whole sample over the survey period. There was a significantdifference in mean food score change between heafth check attendersand non-attenders (Mann-Whitney U test: P << 0.002). Maintenanceof dietary improvement over a 2-year period was not affectedby health check attendance. CONCLUSIONS.: This study confirms the low impact of health checks on the selfreported modification of cardiovascular risk factors and showsthat maintenance of appropriate health behaviour change is nomore likely in those who have received a health check. Keywords. Health promotion, general practice.