Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #102701

Bruce Nelson, MA¹, Sally Fontamillas Shaw, DrPH¹, Lee S. Berk, DrPH, MPH, FACSM², Joseph Bornheimer, MD³, Lee Allen, RN⁴, James Westengard, BS⁵, and Edward Fujimoto, DrPH, MPH⁶. (1) Community Services, Glendale Adventist Medical Center, 1509 Wilson Terrace, Glendale, CA 91206, (818) 409-8547, shawsf@ah.org, (2) Department of Health Promotion & Education and Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, School of Public Health and School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Nichol Hall Room 1511, Loma Linda, CA 92350, (3) Interventional Cardiology, 1560 E. Chevy Chase Drive, #355, Glendale, CA 91206, (4) Cardiology Services, Glendale Adventist Medical Center, 1509 Wilson Terrace, Glendale, CA 91206, (5) Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA 92354, (6) Health Promotion and Education, Loma Linda University, School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA 92354

Approximately 25% of the U.S. population has elevated high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels with normal or low cholesterol. Hs-CRP is an immune inflammatory mediator associated with the development of arterial plaque and correlates with relative risk for cardiovascular disease. Recently, the American Heart Association (AHA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that individuals at risk for heart disease be screened for hs-CRP. To reach large populations who require risk assessment, an effective outreach strategy with a new algorithm model is needed. Our model demonstrates a comprehensive integration of public health through community outreach, health screening and education activities, and referral case management into the traditional health care system. A self-scored prescreening risk-assessment survey is utilized to prescreen 10,000 community residents. The validity of this survey is based on correlative studies relating hs-CRP levels in response to specific survey questions. Participants scoring above an identified threshold are considered to have a moderate or higher risk for heart disease and are tested for elevated hs-CRP and cholesterol. Of the 2,019 prescreened so far, 32% were identified as at-risk for cardiovascular disease. Of the 202 clinically screened, 58% showed elevated cholesterol levels, and 90% had elevated hs-CRP levels. Those who are symptomatic are referred to medical care. As a result of our unique approach, our team received a grant from the Unihealth Foundation for $615,000 to evaluate the prescreening survey strategy as an effective algorithm for identifying high-risk individuals for cardiovascular disease in the general population.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Recognize the value of hs-CRP blood assessment as recommended by the AHA and CDC in cardiovascular health screenings.
• Describe the significance of using a prescreening survey to determine cardiovascular disease risk.
• Discuss the integration of public health strategies into a traditional health care system.

Keywords: Heart Disease, Community Outreach

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.