20 Year : Results and Experiences Pekka Puska Jaakko Tuomilehto Aulikki Nissinen Erkki VartiainenCover: ja Kling Yiopisopaino Helsinki 1995 DIRECTOR OF THE NORTH KARELIA PROJECT PEKKA Puska Heart disease and other forms of chronic illness are the major public health problems throughout the industrialized nations, ‘ond they ore already roising serious concems in many areas of the developing world. In 1972, Finlond responded to cloring heart disease mortality rates by launching an ambitious national demonstration project — the North Karelia Project — with the im of implementing a comprehensive, community-based programme to substantilly reduce heart disease mortality. The North Karelia Project has achieved remarkably successful results ond provided a model for numerous similor projects ‘round the globe. The lifestyles of countless people are now healthier, risk factor levels ore lower and heart (and other) disease rates greatly diminished. In this book the project team’s researchers descbe the methods employed, present the results nd discuss the experiences generated during the 20 years of this pioneering project, Regio! Office for Eope '