Risk assessment and dietary counselling for cholesterol reduction

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Abstract
The importance of dietary counselling in cholesterol risk reduction has been highlighted by recent community health interventions. Tests for blood cholesterol can enhance motivation for behavior change by creating a ‘teachable moment’ when participants become receptive to a simple dietary message. To test the combined effectiveness of cholesterol testing and dietary counselling we conducted a quasi-experimental study of a public cholesterol screening and nutrition education campaign using a control group consisting of blood donors who were unaware that their cholesterol was measured. Public screening participants, with initially elevated risk, reduced absolute cholesterol levels by 2.9%. By contrast, the control sample showed a 4.1% increase over the same time period. The study spanned the Christmas season for 1988 and the relatively small reduction of the public screening sample probably reflects festive dietary patterns during the 3 months between initial and retest screenings. Nevertheless, the net change, after correction for age and sex differences, was a significant 7.0% relative reduction in the public screening sample when compared with controls. These results indicate that cholesterol testing followed by a simple dietary message can effectively reduce cholesterol levels.

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