An evaluation of FrancoForme: A case-managed home-based primary and secondary cardiovascular disease prevention program for French-speaking Canadians

Purpose: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality globally. Telephone-delivered interventions targeting cardiovascular risk factors are gaining popularity. This study is an evaluation of FrancoForme, a cardiovascular risk factor reduction program for the primary and secondary prevention of CVD among French-speaking patients of Eastern Ontario. Methods: This study reports on changes in cardiovascular risk factors, weekly exercise levels, and psychosocial characteristics including anxiety, depression, and quality of life upon program completion (3 months) and at 1 year after the start of the program. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to compare changes in outcomes between primary prevention risk groups (low, moderate, and high risk for CVD) and the secondary prevention group (ie, cardiac rehabilitation) at baseline, 3 months and 12 months. Results: A total of 762 patients enrolled in FrancoForme between 2008 and 2015. At 3 months, all program completers (n = 507) experienced significant reductions for all cardiovascular risk factors except diastolic blood pressure. Minutes of self-reported exercise increased significantly by an average 90 minutes per week and all psychosocial variables improved. Significant group effects were observed across several risk factors. Among 12-month responders (n = 240), exercise, high-density lipoproteins, triglycerides, cholesterol, and all psychosocial variables were improved over baseline results. Conclusions: FrancoForme is unique in targeting both the primary and secondary prevention of CVD and removes several of the barriers to participating in a conventional CVD prevention program for French-speaking patients. FrancoForme is successful, receiving high satisfaction rates and resulting in significant improvements in cardiovascular risk factors, exercise, anxiety, and depression, as well as quality of life.