Lifestyle Intervention in a General Population for Prevention of Ischaemic Heart Disease
Condition: CHD; AMI; CVD; Type 2 Diabetes; COLD
MeSH terms: Heart Diseases; Myocardial Ischemia; Coronary Artery Disease; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      In spite of declining trend coronary heart disease (CHD) is still a leading cause of
      morbidity and mortality. Many years of epidemiological research have identified several risk
      factors for CHD. The main causes are physical inactivity and inappropriate diet (mediated
      through high blood pressure, high cholesterol and fatness) and smoking. So far intervention
      studies on lifestyle factors have shown disappointing results, most probably due to
      insufficient interventions and methodology.

      Inter99 is a randomized non-pharmacological intervention study comprising 61,301 persons
      representing a well-defined population. About 13,000 are invited for a health examination and
      assessment of risk for CHD. Those at high risk are offered lifestyle intervention in three
      waves over a five year period. A priori the group is divided into a high intensive and low
      intensive intervention group. The remaining 48.285 individuals serve as control.

      After five years all individuals who attended the base-line examination are re-invited to
      assess the effect of the intervention on intermediate end-points as lifestyle, absolute risk
      of CHD and biological risk factors. The total cohort (61.301) is followed through central
      registers to evaluate the effect of the intervention on use of the health care system and the
      long term effect on incidence of CHD.

      The status for the project is that the four waves of intervention have been performed, the
      last follow-up was in March 2006.

      Data collection finalized with 10 years follow-up via Central National Registries and a
      questionnaire. No further follow-up is scheduled for the main purposes of the study.

      Analyses as regard the primary effect (on incidence of cardiovascular diseases) and secondary
      effect (on incidence of type 2 diabetes) are on-going. Analyses for a large number of spin
      off project are on-going.

      More than 25 Ph.d. studies and more than 200 peer-review publication have so far been
      produced.

      Summary of results, links to articles and theses at: www.Inter99.dk
    

Detailed description: 
      In spite of declining trend coronary heart disease (CHD) is still a leading cause of
      morbidity and mortality. Many years of epidemiological research have identified several risk
      factors for CHD. The main causes are physical inactivity and inappropriate diet (mediated
      through high blood pressure, high cholesterol and fatness) and smoking. So far intervention
      studies on lifestyle factors have shown disappointing results.

      Inter99 is a randomized non-pharmacological intervention study comprising 61,301 persons
      representing a well-defined population. About 13,000 are invited for a health examination and
      assessment of risk for CHD. Those at high risk are offered lifestyle intervention in three
      waves over a five year period. A priori the group is divided into a high intensive and low
      intensive intervention group. The remaining 48.285 individuals serve as control.

      After five years all individuals who attended the base-line examination are re-invited to
      assess the effect of the intervention on intermediate end-points as lifestyle, absolute risk
      of CHD and biological risk factors. The total cohort (61.301) is followed through central
      registers to evaluate the effect of the intervention on use of the health care system and the
      long term effect on incidence of CHD.
    

Intervention name(s): Lifestyle intervention
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Lifestyle intervention; Behavioural changes; CHD; Type 2 diabetes