Background: The Lapinlahti 2005ââ?¬â??2010 study was carried out to explore cardiovascular disease risk factors and\nchanges in lifestyle in Lapinlahti residents in eastern Finland. Our aim was to analyse factors influencing the level of\ncholesterol in the community.\nMethods: In 2005, 480 subjects aged 30ââ?¬â??65 years underwent a complete health survey (baseline study) that\nconsisted of a structured questionnaire and a health examination. The follow-up was carried out five years later in\n2010. The present study population included 326 individuals who did not use lipid-lowering medication at the\nbaseline. A trained research nurse measured weight, height, waist circumference and blood pressure at the\nbaseline and follow-up. Respectively, lifestyle factors (nutrition, exercise, smoking and alcohol use) were examined\nwith a structured questionnaire. Each lifestyle item was valued as ?1, 0 or 1, depending on how closely it fitted to\nthe recommendations. Cholesterol level analyses at the baseline and follow-up were performed according to the\nprotocol of the Kuopio University Hospitalââ?¬â?¢s medical laboratory. Based on their baseline cholesterol levels, the\nparticipants were divided into tertiles. The age- and sex-adjusted linear trend between the tertiles was tested.\nResults: The change in cholesterol level was associated with lipid-lowering medication (P < 0.001). Lifestyle\nimprovement was associated with the cholesterol level change but did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.061),\nalthough the interaction of lipid-lowering medication and lifestyle change was associated with the change in\ncholesterol level (P = 0.018). In multivariate analysis, a favourable change in fat consumption (P = 0.007) and\nlipid-lowering medication (P < 0.001) were associated with decreasing cholesterol levels.\nConclusions: At the population level, dyslipidaemia is one of the most easily modifiable risk factors of CHD.\nLipid-lowering medication may have the most significant impact on cholesterol level in communities with primary\nhealth care with good coverage. On the other hand, the potential of health-promoting and population-based\nprevention strategies may be underused.
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