title: The Heartfile Lodhran CVD prevention project--end of project evaluation.
abstract: Mainstream preventive interventions often fail to reach poor populations with a high risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in Pakistan. A community-based CVD primary prevention project aimed at developing approaches to reduce risk factors in such populations was established by Heartfile in collaboration with the National Rural Support Program in the district of Lodhran. The project implemented a range of activities integrated with existing social and health service mechanisms during a three year intervention period 2000/01-03/04. These were targeted in 4 key settings: community health education, mass media interventions, training of health professionals and health education through Lady Health Workers. The project received support from the Department for International Development, U.K. At the community level, a pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental design was used for examining project outcomes related to the community component of the intervention. Pre and post-intervention (training) evaluations were conducted involving all health care providers in randomly selected workshops in order to determine baseline levels of knowledge and the impact of training on knowledge level. In order to assess practices of physician and non-physician health care providers patient interviews, with control comparisons were conducted at each health care facility. Significant positive changes were observed in knowledge levels at a community level in the district of intervention compared with baseline knowledge levels particularly in relation to a heart healthy diet, beneficial level of physical activity, the causes of high blood pressure and heart attack and the effects of high blood pressure and active and passive smoking on health. Significant changes in behaviors at a practice level were not shown in the district of intervention. However the project played a critical role in spurring national action for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and introducing sustainable public health interventions for poor communities in Pakistan.
authors.affiliation: Heartfile, Pakistan. sania@heartfile.org
authors.forename: Sania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishtar
authors.forename: Asma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Badar
authors.forename: Mohammad Umer
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Kamal
authors.forename: Azhar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iqbal
authors.forename: Rashid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bajwa
authors.forename: Tauqeer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Zahid
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Larik
authors.forename: Fazle
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Karim
authors.forename: Mahmood ul Hassan
authors.initials: Mu
authors.lastname: Mehmood
authors.forename: Haroon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jehangir
authors.forename: Syed Iqbal
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Azam
authors.forename: Yasir Abbas
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Mirza
authors.forename: Shahzad Ali
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Aamra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Qayyum
authors.forename: Fauzia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aqeel
authors.forename: Abdul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bakir
authors.forename: Ejaz
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rahim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D011203:Poverty