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 .
The Fremantle Primary Prevention Study: a multicentre randomised trial of absolute cardiovascular risk reduction.
BACKGROUND Cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) is the leading cause of global mortality . Risk factor management in clinical practice often relies on relative risk modification rather than the more appropriate absolute risk assessment . AIM To determine whether patients receiving more-frequently design ated GP visits had increased benefit in terms of their absolute CVD risk assessment , as compared with patients in receipt of their usual GP care . DESIGN AND SETTING Prospect i ve , open , pragmatic block r and omised study in a 1:1 group allocation ratio in three Western Australian general practice s. METHOD A convenience sample ( n = 1200 ) of patients aged 40 - 80 years were r and omised to 3-monthly GP visits ( five in total for the intensive ) or usual GP care ( two in total for the opportunistic ) , with 12 months ' follow-up . The main outcome was absolute CVD risk scores based on the New Zeal and Cardiovascular Risk Calculator . Others outcome measures were weight , height , waist circumference , blood pressure , and fasting blood lipids and glucose . RESULTS There were 600 patients per group at baseline . At 12 months ' analysis there were 543 in the intensive group and 569 in the opportunistic group . Mean ( st and ard deviation [ SD ] ) absolute CVD risk reduced significantly between baseline and 12 months in the intensive group ( 6.28 % [ 5.11 ] to 6.10 % [ 4.94 ] ) but not in the opportunistic group ( 6.27 % [ 5.10 ] to 6.24 % [ 5.38 ] ) . There was a significant reduction between baseline and 12 months in mean ( SD ) total cholesterol ( 5.28 mmol/l [ 0.94 ] to 5.08 mmol/l [ 0.96 ] ) ; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( 3.08 mmol/l [ 0.87 ] to 2.95 mmol/l [ 0.89 ] ) ; triglyceride ( 1.45 mmol/l [ 0.86 ] to 1.36 mmol/l [ 0.84 ] ) ; and in mean ( SD ) waist circumference in men ( 98.74 cm [ 10.70 ] to 97.13 cm [ 10.20 ] ) and females ( 90.64 cm [ 14.62 ] to 88.96 cm [ 14.00 ] ) in the intensive group . CONCLUSION A targeted approach using absolute risk calculators can be used in primary care to modify global CVD risk assessment
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 .