South West London Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Decathlon Programme Evaluation

The South West London (SWL) Integrated Care Board (ICB) were awarded Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare funding to develop and pilot a Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Prevention Programme in 2023.  

Based on the SWL Diabetes Prevention Decathlon, the CVD Prevention Decathlon pilot is a ten-week programme offering educational and physical activity sessions delivered in-person by trained educators. The overarching objective of the programme is to encourage adoption of positive health behaviours to improve wellbeing and reduce the risk of developing CVD. The  pilot was delivered between August 2023 and July 2024. 

The Health Innovation Network South London was commissioned by SWL ICB to lead a mixed-methods evaluation of the programme pilot. The evaluation assessed the  pilot’s impact on health behaviours, clinical outcomes, and participant experience. 

Key Findings: 

• 75% of programme participants completed the course (i.e. attended at least six of the ten sessions). 

• Statistically significant reductions were observed in cholesterol and blood pressure for those with elevated levels at baseline. 

• Average weight loss across all participants was moderate (1.18kg, 1.5%). 

• Participants reported positive experiences participating in the programme, noting the importance of combining classroom education with physical exercise, peer support and networking, and engaging and knowledgeable programme facilitation.  

• Participant data from surveys, focus groups and individual case studies emphasise the programme’s positive impact on participants’ health goals and knowledge. A large majority of survey respondents reported achieving goals related to weight loss, CVD risk reduction, healthy eating, physical activity, and increased knowledge of CVD. Furthermore, participants reported significant lifestyle changes, including improved diets and increased exercise.