There is uncertainty whether current strategies for providing CVD risk scores  affect CVD events .
Providing CVD risk scores may slightly reduce CVD risk factor levels and may increase preventive medication prescribing in higher-risk people without evidence of harm .
BACKGROUND The current paradigm for cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) emphasises absolute risk assessment to guide treatment decisions in primary prevention .
Although the derivation and validation of multivariable risk assessment tools , or CVD risk scores , have attracted considerable attention , their effect on clinical outcomes is uncertain .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of evaluating and providing CVD risk scores in adults without prevalent CVD on cardiovascular outcomes , risk factor levels , preventive medication prescribing , and health behaviours .
Increasing knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors among African Americans by use of community health workers: the ABCD community intervention pilot project.
African Americans have higher rates of cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) and poorer outcomes compared to others . The American Diabetes Association and the National Diabetes Education Program have promoted use of the ABC approach ( glycated hemoglobin A1c , blood pressure , cholesterol ) for identifying and controlling the leading indicators of CVD risk . In the present study , research ers added a D factor , for depression , because this disorder is common and also predictive of CVD risk and of control of diabetes . Particularly among low-income African Americans , depression is frequently not targeted or treated . The current study tests the effectiveness of recruiting African Americans in churches and training community health workers ( CHWs ) to educate their peers about CVD and risk reduction . For the intervention group , CHWs participated in a 16-hour training session and delivered a 6-week tailored educational program with counseling sessions and demonstrations . The control group received a weekly lecture by clinical experts . The CHW active-learning intervention was more effective than lectures by clinical experts in increasing the knowledge of CVD risk . The only significant difference in clinical measures reflected a worsening of HbA1c levels in the control group ; the CHW intervention group showed a slight improvement . Participants also learned self-management skills , such as taking blood pressure , measuring glucose , and reading labels . Nevertheless , more longitudinal research and a larger sample size are needed to confirm the impact of CHWs in community setting s to change factors associated with CVD risk
There is uncertainty whether current strategies for providing CVD risk scores  affect CVD events .
Providing CVD risk scores may slightly reduce CVD risk factor levels and may increase preventive medication prescribing in higher-risk people without evidence of harm .
BACKGROUND The current paradigm for cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) emphasises absolute risk assessment to guide treatment decisions in primary prevention .
Although the derivation and validation of multivariable risk assessment tools , or CVD risk scores , have attracted considerable attention , their effect on clinical outcomes is uncertain .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of evaluating and providing CVD risk scores in adults without prevalent CVD on cardiovascular outcomes , risk factor levels , preventive medication prescribing , and health behaviours .