Community-based health education workshops in Cardona, Spain successfully prevented the natural deterioration of cardiovascular risk factors over two years. While participants in the control town of Sallent experienced significant declines in their Fuster-BEWAT composite score (-0.50 points), those receiving educational interventions maintained stable scores. The intervention group showed measurable improvements in waist circumference, total cholesterol levels, smoking rates, physical activity, and overall well-being compared to controls. This community-wide intervention represents a promising scalable approach to population health management. Unlike individual clinical interventions that require ongoing medical resources, educational workshops can reach entire communities at relatively low cost. The dose-response relationship is particularly noteworthy—participants attending four or more workshops annually achieved the greatest benefits in physical activity, Mediterranean diet adherence, triglycerides, and diastolic blood pressure. However, the quasi-experimental design and two-year timeframe limit causal inferences about long-term cardiovascular outcomes. The study's strength lies in demonstrating that simple, accessible educational interventions can halt the typical age-related decline in cardiovascular health markers across diverse age groups, suggesting community education may be an underutilized prevention strategy.
Community Workshops Prevent Cardiovascular Risk Deterioration Over 2 Years
📄 Based on research published in JACC. Advances
Read the original paper →For informational, non-clinical use. Synthesized analysis of published research — may contain errors. Not medical advice. Consult original sources and your physician.