title: The costs and effects of a nutritional education program following work-site cholesterol screening.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess the costs and impact of a nutrition education program following a cholesterol screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty work-sites were randomly assigned to one of two educational interventions: a "usual" intervention of 5 minutes of counseling, or a "special" intervention of 2 hours of behaviorally based education on dietary changes to lower serum cholesterol. Costs were monitored, and cholesterol levels were retested 6 and 12 months later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total per-person cost for screening and the educational intervention was about $50. Cholesterol levels differed little between the two intervention groups 6 months after screening, but after 12 months those in the special intervention worksites showed a 6.5% drop in cholesterol, whereas those at the usual intervention worksites showed a drop of only 3.0%. Hence a 3.5% cholesterol reduction was attributable to the special intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A behaviorally based nutrition education program following cholesterol screening can have a meaningful impact on long-term cholesterol levels at a low cost. Nutrition education in work-sites may therefore be a useful way to lower the risk of heart disease in communities.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga 30341-3724, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Byers
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mullis
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dusenbury
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gorsky
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kimber
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Krueger
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuester
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mokdad
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009786:Occupational Health Services / Q000191:economics
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol