Table 1 Inclusion criteria

   ■ Studies evaluating primary prevention activities targeted at cardiovascular event or risk reduction, i.e., prevention of the disease before it occurs for the first time;

   ■ Objective: Screening for and modification of risk factors for primary cardiovascular events;

   ■ Population: Persons at increased risk but without evidence of cardiovascular disease;

   ■ Endpoints: Cardiovascular outcomes/events or modified risk factor;

Formal features:

   ■ Full economic evaluation, i.e., comparative analysis of costs and outcomes of at least two alternatives;

   ■ Applied study (trial generating primary data or modelling of secondary data). Methodological and general articles, letters and abstracts were excluded;

   ■ Assessment of, or application to the US, Canadian or European health care systems;

   ■ Journal articles, i.e., exclusion of books, HTA reports, grey literature;

   ■ Published between 1995–2005.