Randomized trial of cardiovascular prevention in Norway combining an in-hospital lifestyle course with primary care follow-up: the Hjerteløftet study.

In subjects with elevated cardiovascular risk, a newly developed prevention programme, combining a hospital-based lifestyle course and primary care follow-up, significantly reduced cardiovascular risk scores after 36 months. This benefit appeared achievable primarily through improvements in metabolic syndrome characteristics and smoking habits.The study protocol was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01741428).