Primordial prevention of cardiovascular disease risk in the Netherlands

Developments about cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in The Netherl ands since the 1970s are described in relation to health policy. The preval ence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and obesity changed little in t he 1970s and 1980s, In recent years, however, the prevalence of hypercholes terolemia tended to decrease and that of obesity to increase. The prevalenc e of hypertension remained stable but the percentage of treated hypertensiv es declined since 1987, Between 1958 and 1993 the percentage of male smoker s decreased from 90% to about 40% In women the percentage of smokers decrea sed from about 40% in 1975 to about 30% in 1993. Between 1987 and 1992 the intake of saturated fat decreased from 16.5 to 14.1% of energy, But during that period the intake of vegetables also decreased from 144 to 128 g/day a nd that of fruits from 125 to 114 g/day, Recent surveys show that up to age 65, approximately 25% of the Dutch population is physically inactive. This percentage increases sharply after age 65, Health policy for primordial pr evention of CVD in The Netherlands is aimed at reduction of smoking prevale nce, improvement of dietary habits, and promotion of physical activity.