Evaluation of the Heart To Heart Project: lessons from a community-based chronic disease prevention project.
OBJECTIVE
To present an evaluation of a 5-year, community-based, chronic disease prevention project managed by a state health department to determine whether the department could replicate similar previous projects that had received more funding and other resources.


METHODS
The evaluation used a matched comparison design and a review of archive and interview data.


METHODS
Florence, South Carolina (population: 56,240).


METHODS
A random sample of 1642 persons in Florence (and 1551 in the comparison) who responded to a risk factor questionnaire and underwent a physical assessment; 70.7% of baseline subjects participated in the postintervention. Forty key persons were interviewed concerning project effectiveness. INTERVENTIONS BY PROJECT: Walk-a-thons, a speakers' bureau, media messages, restaurant food labeling, and cooking seminars. More than 31,000 participants were involved in 585 activities.


METHODS
Questionnaires focused on hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol, smoking, and exercise. Physical assessments determined lipid, lipoprotein, apolipoprotein, and blood pressure levels. Analysis of covariance was used for baseline and postintervention comparisons. Content analysis was used on archive and interview data.


RESULTS
The project had a slightly favorable intervention effect on cholesterol and smoking, but failed to have an effect on other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The project influenced community awareness, enlisted influential community members, and fostered linkages among local health services.


CONCLUSIONS
Health departments can be instrumental in community risk reduction programming; however, they may not replicate projects having greater resources.
Goodman
R M
RM
Department of Health Promotion and Education, School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia 29208, USA.
Wheeler
F C
FC
Lee
P R
PR
D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003710:Demography; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires