Resources for planning No. 7 - Cardiovascular disease & Type 2 Diabetes

Page content: Executive summary | Aim of the planning resource | Objectives of the planning resource | Download document

Executive summary

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus contribute to a high proportion of the burden of disease in Australia. The resulting loss of health, wellbeing and quality of life places a heavy burden on individuals, families, the community and the health care system. There is now convincing evidence that these conditions are largely preventable, and a range of potentially modifiable socioenvironmental conditions and individual behaviours has been identified. Models and frameworks have been developed for investing in health by acting on this knowledge.

The purpose of this guide is to describe what is known about the most effective health promotion strategies for preventing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. It combines a discussion of cardiovascular disease and diabetes because they share a common patho-physiology and set of risk factors. The guide has been designed to help practitioners, policy makers and planners in Victoria to select evidence based strategies for reducing risk factors.

The evidence is summarised in seven chapters that address the key risk factors for CVD and type 2 diabetes:

• Preventing cardiovascular disease (multiple risk factor interventions)
• Preventing diabetes (multiple risk factor interventions)
• Promoting healthy weight
• Promoting physical activity
• Promoting healthy eating
• Reducing tobacco use
• Improving socioenvironmental conditions and psychosocial factors.

The guide, which is restricted to health promotion interventions targeting adults, was developed from an extensive review of the most recent Australian and international research literature. It is principally a 'review of reviews', presented in narrative format and designed to be user friendly and practical.

The guide outlines the interventions that have been tried and evaluated. For each intervention, the strategy, settings and population groups are described. Wherever possible, effect, reach, sustainability, relative cost and potential for reaching disadvantaged/special population groups are also described. The guide also includes information about key characteristics of effective interventions and potential barriers to implementation. Links are provided to useful resources, evaluation tools, case studies and existing programs, and indicators for measuring effectiveness are suggested.

Health promotion practice should not be restricted only to interventions for which there is convincing evidence of effectiveness. Current policies and recommendations suggest that practitioners adopt a balance between scientific evidence and information about interventions that have the potential to be effective in a particular community. The interventions selected should be those best suited to:

1. the local population characteristics and settings;
2. local needs, resources, capabilities and administrative structures; and
3. the economic and social environments of organisations, practitioners and communities.

To assist with local level planning, the guide provides frameworks, checklists and practical tools to help practitioners plan, implement and evaluate integrated health promotion approaches to preventing CVD and diabetes. A sample health promotion planning grid and sample program evaluation plan are included.

A more detailed review of the evidence for health promotion interventions covered in this guide, in the form of summary tables of evidence and narrative reviews of evidence, will soon be available from this page.

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Aim of the planning resource

"To improve the effectiveness of the Victorian primary care sector in reducing risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease"

Objectives of the planning resource

• To identify effective strategies for reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes
• To develop an evidence-based guide to assist the selection and implementation of these risk reduction strategies
• To develop a complementary evaluation model
• To disseminate project findings

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Sections of the resource

Introduction (82kb, pdf)

Chapter 2 & 3 - Health promotion and review methods (94kb, pdf)

Chapter 4 - Preventing cardiovascular disease (75kb, pdf)

Chapter 5 - Preventing diabetes (102kb, pdf)

Chapter 6 - Promoting healthy weight (106kb, pdf)

Chapter 7 - Promoting physical activity (123kb, pdf)

Chapter 8 - Promoting healthy eating (108kb, pdf)

Chapter 9 - Reducing tobacco use (97kb, pdf)

Chapter 10 - Improving socioenvironmental conditions and psychosocial factors (96kb, pdf)

Chapter 11 - Planning model: Translating evidence into practice (91kb, pdf)

Chapter 12 - Evaluation framework (106kb, pdf)

References and appendices (269kb, pdf)

Entire resource

Planning for healthy communities (712kb, pdf)

Tabulated summary of Literature

The literature review for the Planning for Healthy Communities evidence based resource was conducted principally by reviewing existing reviews of each topic. The tables below provide a summary of the reviews, and in some cases
recent individual studies not included in the reviews, for each topic. Mental Health and Social Connectedness has no associated summary tables, as there were no appropriate reviews available in this area at the time of the study.

The following tables provide information on the following six topics:

• CVD (36kb, pdf)

• Diabetes (51kb, pdf)

• Obesity (82kb, pdf)

• Physical Activity (123kb, pdf)

• Healthy Eating (75kb, pdf)

• Smoking (60kb, pdf)

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