Abstract

Cardio vascular disease remains a significant, and a significantly preventable condition. In England it causes 159 000 deaths per annum of which 40 000 are premature for example, deaths before age 75. The cost to society is £30 billion per annum. This guidance majored on societal level factors which for which there is strong evidence of effectiveness and cost effectiveness. Recommendations were made about salt intake; saturated fats, trans fats, the common agricultural policy, and community approaches. The recommendations and the evidence underlying them will be described. The programme development group which developed the guidance initially considered previous evidence derived from studies and programmes aimed at community approaches to heart disease prevention. The paper will explain how these data were interpreted and why a robust population approach was adopted in this guidance.