title: Long-term effectiveness of the community-based Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) lifestyle intervention: a cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the long-term (three or more years) effectiveness of the volunteer-delivered Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hawera, New Zealand.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of the total cohort of 284 individuals who self-selected to complete the CHIP lifestyle intervention between 2007 and 2009, 106 (37% of the original cohort, mean age=64.9±7.4 years, range 42-87 years; 35% males, 65% female) returned in 2012 for a complimentary follow-up health assessment (mean follow-up duration=49.2+10.4 months).
  
  
  METHODS
  30-day lifestyle modification programme (diet, physical activity, substance use and stress management) delivered by volunteers in a community setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Changes in body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides (TG).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After approximately 4 years, participants with elevated biometrics at programme entry maintained significantly lowered BMI (-3.2%; 34.8±5.4 vs 33.7±5.3 kg/m(2), p=0.02), DBP (-9.4%; 89.1±4.1 vs 80.8±12.6 mm Hg, p=0.005), TC (-5.5%; 6.1±0.7 vs 5.8±1.0 mmol/L, p=0.04) and TG (-27.5%; 2.4±0.8 vs 1.7±0.7 mmol/L, p=0.002). SBP, HDL, LDL and FPG were not significantly different from baseline. Participants with elevated baseline biometrics who reported being compliant to the lifestyle principles promoted in the intervention (N=71, 67% of follow-up participants) recorded further reductions in BMI (-4.2%; 34.8±4.5 vs 33.4±4.8 kg/m(2), p=0.02), DBP (-13.3%; 88.3±3.2 vs 77.1±12.1 mm Hg, p=0.005) and FPG (-10.4%; 7.0±1.5 vs 6.3±1.3 mmol/L, p=0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Individuals who returned for follow-up assessment and entered the CHIP lifestyle intervention with elevated risk factors were able to maintain improvements in most biometrics for more than 3 years. The results suggest that the community-based CHIP lifestyle intervention can be effective in the longer term, even when delivered by volunteers.
authors.affiliation: Lifestyle Research Centre, Avondale College of Higher Education, Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Lillian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.forename: Darren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morton
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hurlow
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rankin
authors.forename: Althea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Diehl
keywords: NUTRITION & DIETETICS; PREVENTIVE MEDICINE