SynthesisThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2014
Effectiveness of general practice-based health checks: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02797392 (Early Detection and Prevention of Lifestyle Related Diseases - a Pilot Study), which is not on this map. Cited by 74 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Early Detection and Prevention of Lifestyle Related Diseases - a Pilot Study
Who cites it
74 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- What influences the implementation of health checks in the prevention and early detection of chronic diseases among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian primary health care? Findings from an evidence mapping review.Health research policy and systems · 2025Pooled it
- Stakeholders' perceptions and experiences of factors influencing the commissioning, delivery, and uptake of general health checks: a qualitative evidence synthesis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- General health checks in adults for reducing morbidity and mortality from disease.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators to participation in a health check for cardiometabolic diseases in primary care: A systematic review.European journal of preventive cardiology · 2018Pooled it
- Guideline
- Screening for increased cardiometabolic risk in primary care: a systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2014Pooled it
- Effectiveness of the population-based 'check your health preventive programme' conducted in a primary care setting: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2022Trial
- Cost-effectiveness of a stepwise cardiometabolic disease prevention program: results of a randomized controlled trial in primary care.BMC medicine · 2021Trial
- Does GP empathy influence patient enablement and success in lifestyle change among high risk patients?BMC family practice · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Step-wise approach to prevention of chronic diseases in the Danish primary care sector with the use of a personal digital health profile and targeted follow-up - an assessment of attendance.BMC public health · 2019Trial
- Higher mortality in women living in high-participation areas of a population-based health check and lifestyle intervention study.International journal of public health · 2019Trial
- Underdiagnosis of Health: A Key Driver of Overdiagnosis of Disease.Journal of evaluation in clinical practice · 2026Article
- Impact of Secondary Prevention on Mortality in the Building Trades National Medical Screening Program: Effectiveness of Occupational High-Risk Management.American journal of industrial medicine · 2026Article
- Stroke Action Plan for Europe 2018-2030 (SAP-E): mid-term review and update.European stroke journal · 2026Review
- Assessing gastric cancer risk through longitudinal health check-up data: Insights from a national cohort study in South Korea.PloS one · 2025Article
- From Atherosclerotic Plaque to Myocardial Infarction-The Leading Cause of Coronary Artery Occlusion.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Socioeconomic Disparities in the Association Between All-Cause Mortality and Health Check-Up Participation Among Healthy Middle-Aged Workers: A Nationwide Study.Journal of Korean medical science · 2023Article
14 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA recent review concluded that general health checks fail to reduce mortality in adults.
aimThis review focuses on general practice-based health checks and their effects on both surrogate and final outcomes. DESIGN AND
settingSystematic search of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.
methodRelevant data were extracted from randomised trials comparing the health outcomes of general practice-based health checks versus usual care in middle-aged populations.
resultsSix trials were included. The end-point differences between the intervention and control arms in total cholesterol (TC), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), and body mass index (BMI) were -0.13 mmol/l (95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.19 to -0.07), -3.65 mmHg (95% CI = -6.50 to -0.81), -1.79 mmHg (95% CI = -2.93 to -0.64), and -0.45 kg/m(2) (95% CI = -0.66 to -0.24), respectively. The odds of a patient remaining at 'high risk' with elevated TC, SBP, DBP, BMI or continuing smoking were 0.63 (95% CI = 0.50 to 0.79), 0.59 (95% CI = 0.28 to 1.23), 0.63 (95% CI = 0.53 to 0.74), 0.89 (95% CI = 0.81 to 0.98), and 0.91 (95% CI = 0.82 to 1.02), respectively. There was little evidence of a difference in total mortality (OR 1.03, 95% CI = 0.90 to 1.18). Higher CVD mortality was observed in the intervention group (OR 1.30, 95% CI = 1.02 to 1.66).
conclusionGeneral practice-based health checks are associated with statistically significant, albeit clinically small, improvements in surrogate outcome control, especially among high-risk patients. Most studies were not originally designed to assess mortality.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.