Coronary heart disease risk screening: the community pharmacy Healthy Heart Assessment Service

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Cardiovascular Health
• Pharmacy Practice

Background:

• The Healthy Heart Assessment (HHA) service was offered by a UK pharmacy chain to identify coronary heart disease (CHD) risks.
• Understanding the characteristics of individuals accessing such services is crucial for targeted health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the characteristics and CHD risks of individuals utilizing the free HHA service.
• To explore associations between demographics, socioeconomic status, and CHD risk within the HHA user population.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 8,287 records from the HHA service (August 2004 - April 2006).
• Cross-tabulation and Pearson chi-square tests were used to assess associations between gender, age, socioeconomic status, and 10-year CHD risk.
• Relative Risk Ratios (RRR) were calculated to quantify risk differences.

Main Results:

• A significant association was found between male gender and moderate-to-high CHD risk (RRR 1.72, P < 0.001).
• Individuals from 'constrained by circumstances' (RRR 1.15, P < 0.05) and 'blue collar communities' (RRR 1.13, P < 0.05) socioeconomic groups had higher odds of moderate-to-high CHD risk.
• Overall, 2,910 out of 8,287 participants were assessed as moderate-to-high risk.

Conclusions:

• The HHA service successfully engaged 'hard-to-reach' populations, including men and those from less advantaged backgrounds, who were more likely to have elevated CHD risk.
• Pharmacists focused on lifestyle advice, indicating pharmacies are suitable venues for cardiovascular screening.
• Findings support the role of community pharmacies in delivering accessible public health screening programs.