Isfahan Healthy Heart Program, Sample Size and Sampling Structure: A Comprehensive Report

One of the important strategies for preventing and controlling cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is providing training through interventions at the population. This study aimed to explain the sample size and sampling structure of the Isfahan Healthy Heart Program (IHHP). This program was considered as a comprehensive community-based interventional trial to modify population lifestyle in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors prevention and control. Isfahan Healthy Heart Program (IHHP) addressed four target groups including adults, health professionals, patients with cardiac diseases, and children and adolescents in three districts in Iran including Isfahan and Najaf Abad (intervention) and Arak (reference). It was consisted of three phases: baseline survey in 2000-2001, intervention in 2002-2005 and post-intervention survey in 2006-2007. Four evaluation studies were done during 2002 to 2005 to evaluate knowledge and behaviors improvements. The sample sizes and sampling methods in the pre- and the post-intervention phases were as followed: 12514 and 9572 and quota, stratified, cluster, random, probability proportionate to size, systemic and simple random in adults; 1946 and 1992 and quotas, stratified, cluster, random, probability proportionate to size, simple random, simple random in adolescents; 923 and 2015 and simple random in health professionals; and also 814 and 502 and simple random in patients with cardiac diseases. We carried out a 10-year longitudinal cohort study entitled the Isfahan Cohort Study on population aged ≥ 35 years starting from the baseline to examine the incidence of cardiovascular disease events and to calculate the risk assessment chart for cardiovascular disease occurrence. Isfahan Healthy Heart Program, as comprehensive community-based interventional trial in Iran, was so similar to the same worldwide.