The national high blood pressure education program: a description of its utility as a generic program model

The National High Blood Pressure Education Program recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. It is timely and appropriate to assess progress toward the realization of its mission and to examine the critical elements of this large-scale, community-based intervention program. This article describes the origin of the National Program, the planning process and models used in undertaking this national health education effort, the application of theoretical models, and approaches used to evaluate the effort. The lessons learned and the application of the National Program as a model for health education interventions are offered.