197566 A Preliminary Analysis of the Effectiveness of Participation in the Chester County Health Department's Public Cholesterol Screenings on Behavior Recommendations and Physician Referral Compliance

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Melissa M. Walsh, MPH, CHES , Bureau of Administration and Support Services, Chester County Health Department, West Chester, PA
Natasha Hinton, MPH , Department of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Margaret C. Rivello, MBA , County Health Director, Chester County Health Department, West Chester, PA
  
Heart Disease and Stroke are the first and third leading causes of death in the United States and in Pennsylvania. Most of these deaths are due to coronary heart disease, which has several major modifiable risk factors, one being elevated blood cholesterol. Studies among people with heart disease have shown that lowering cholesterol can reduce the risk for having a heart attack, developing, and/or dying from heart disease.

A national objective of Healthy People 2010 to increase the proportion of adults from sixty seven percent to eighty percent who have had their blood cholesterol checked within the previous five years, provides justification to the importance of cholesterol screenings. The purpose of cholesterol screenings offered in public settings is to identify individuals with elevated levels and refer them to medical providers for additional testing and treatment. Persons with significant cardiovascular disease risk factors may be unaware of their presence and participation in these screenings may identify and educate individuals on these risk factors. Follow-up with participants may help determine strategies that are successful in increasing the number of residents getting screened.

This poster will include details on an evaluation project that sought to determine the effectiveness of participation in public cholesterol screenings. Analysis intends to determine through follow-up with cholesterol screening participants, compliance to referrals made to physicians regarding abnormal results and initiation of positive cardiovascular health behaviors based on recommendations from screening nurses.

Learning Objectives:
Conduct an evaluation of Chester County Health Department’s Public Cholesterol Screenings to determine compliance to behavior recommendations and physician referral.

Keywords: Cholesterol, Screening

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I supervise the Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Division at the Chester County Health Department and intend to graduate with a Master’s Degree in Public Health – Community Health from Temple University in May 2009. I have worked in for-profit, worksite, school based and government public health settings coordinating public health programs and screenings.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Chronic Disease Epidemiology Poster Session
See more of: Epidemiology