Chronic disease risk reduction with a community-based lifestyle change programme:

Objective To assess whether reduced health risks resulting from the Coronary Health Improvement Project (CHIP) persist through 18 months.Methods The CHIP is a four-week health education course designed to help individuals reduce cardiovascular risk by improving nutrition and physical activity behaviours. Analyses were based on 211 CHIP enrollees, aged 24—81 years from Rockford, IL.Results Improvements in BMI, SBP, DBP, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides and glucose continued through 18 months for those who started the programme with higher risk status at baseline.Conclusion The CHIP is an intensive lifestyle change programme that lowers cardiovascular risks through 18 months.