To be seen, confirmed and involved - a ten year follow-up of perceived health and cardiovascular risk factors in a Swedish community intervention programme

BACKGROUND: Public health interventions are directed towards social systems and it is difficult to foresee all consequences. While targeted outcomes may be positively influenced, interventions may at worst be counterproductive. To include self-reported health in an evaluation is one way of addressin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC Public Health
Main Authors: Emmelin, Maria, Weinehall, Lars, Stenlund, Hans, Wall, Stig, Dahlgren, Lars
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Umeå universitet, Epidemiologi och folkhälsovetenskap 2007
Subjects:
Public Health
Global Health
Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Folkhälsovetenskap
global hälsa
socialmedicin och epidemiologi
Northern Sweden
Online Access:http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-16220
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-7-190
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Summary:BACKGROUND: Public health interventions are directed towards social systems and it is difficult to foresee all consequences. While targeted outcomes may be positively influenced, interventions may at worst be counterproductive. To include self-reported health in an evaluation is one way of addressing possible side-effects. This study is based on a 10 year follow-up of a cardiovascular community intervention programme in northern Sweden. METHODS: Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used to address the interaction between changes in self-rated health and risk factor load. Qualitative interviews contributed to an analysis of how the outcome was influenced by health related norms and attitudes. RESULTS: Most people maintained a low risk factor load and a positive perception of health. However, more people improved than deteriorated their situation regarding both perceived health and risk factor load. "Ideal types" of attitude sets towards the programme, generated from the interviews, helped to interpret an observed polarisation for men and the lower educated. CONCLUSION: Our observation of a socially and gender differentiated intervention effect suggests a need to test new intervention strategies. Future community interventions may benefit from targeting more directly those who in combination with high risk factor load perceive their health as bad and to make all participants feel seen, confirmed and involved.

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