Impact of a cardiovascular disease risk screening result on preventive behaviour in asymptomatic participants of the ROBINSCA trial

Introduction A teachable moment for preventive behavioural change can occur when asymptomatic individuals receive their cardiovascular disease screening result. This study investigated prevention-seeking behaviour and compliance with preventive treatment of participants of the population-based Risk Or Benefit IN Screening for CArdiovascular disease (ROBINSCA) trial after receiving a screening result.

Methods Asymptomatic Dutch individuals (n = 43,447) were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to screening for cardiovascular disease by either traditional risk assessment (intervention arm A), or determining the amount of coronary artery calcification (intervention arm B), or to usual care (control arm). A random sample (n = 600) of ROBINSCA participants with a screening result (arms A and B) received an online questionnaire (in 2017) to measure the impact of a cardiovascular disease screening result in low and increased (arm A: risk > 10%; arm B: Agatston ≥ 100) risk groups.

Results Of all respondents (438/600; 73%) 63.5% were men and the mean age ( ± standard deviation) was 63.8 ± 6.9 years. Individuals with an increased coronary artery calcification score consulted their general practitioner more often compared to increased risk individuals from arm A: 140/149 (94%) and 86/137 (62.8%), respectively (P < 0.001). Current use of blood pressure and cholesterol-lowering drugs was significantly higher in the increased coronary artery calcification score group (108/140; 77.1%), compared to the group with an increased traditional risk (35/80, 43.8%; P < 0.001). Self-reported compliance was high (98.1–100%).

Conclusion Receiving the screening result might be a teachable moment that can enhance cardiovascular disease prevention-seeking behaviour through consulting a general practitioner and high compliance with preventive treatment. The impact of the screening result was more profound in the increased coronary artery calcification score group.