What should the public be told about primary prevention of CHD?

Abstract

There is an increasing demand from the general public for medical information. In his analysis of ongoing and prospective tendencies in Megatrends, Naisbitt foresees a change from an industrial era to a society based on the creation and distribution of information, and 'from a society run by short-term considerations and rewards in favour of dealing with things in much longer-term frames'. And with regard to medical care: 'The new emphasis on the human angle shows up in three major trends behind the move from institution help to self-help'. These aspects include among others our responsibility for health, self-care and preventive medicine. The medical profession has to meet this demand for information with appropriate answers. So far we have failed in several respects. One source of confusion is the rapid distribution to the general public of research results which have not had time to be put into an overall health prospective. Some of the issues which seem to be confusing with respect to coronary heart disease (CHD) prevention are: what risk factors are really of importance, what can be achieved by screening examinations versus more general health measures, and whether our diet really matters.