The Department of Cardiovascular, Endocrine-metabolic Diseases and Aging of the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) coordinates the "Italian Health Examination Survey - CUORE Project" (ITA-HES – CUORE Project).

 

The objective of the Health Examination Surveys (HES), conducted by the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) within the framework of the CUORE Project, is to support and evaluate actions included in the National Prevention Plan and Regional Prevention Plans through periodic description, including direct measurements and examinations, of some individual characteristics recognized as risk factors for non-communicable diseases, of life styles influencing health (diet, alcohol consumption, physical activity, smoking habit), as well as the prevalence of conditions at risk (hypertension, obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia), in order to identify pathology areas and other conditions requiring preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic and care interventions and to study the temporal trends of risk factors and non-communicable diseases on statistically representative samples of the general population.

 

The objectives of the survey, addressed to the general adult population (35-74 years), are to:

1. estimate the distribution of risk factors for non-communicable diseases through the detection of blood pressure, heart rate, weight, height, body mass index, waist and hip circumferences, glycemia, total and HDL cholesterolemia, triglyceridemia, creatininemia;
2. study the distribution of life styles influencing health (physical activity, smoking habit, diet, alcohol consumption);
3. estimate the prevalence of conditions at risk (hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia, overweight and obesity, etc.);
4. estimate the prevalence of chronic kidney diseases (through determinations of creatininemia, albuminuria and creatininuria);
5. evaluate the temporal trend of detected risk factors distribution through the detection of blood pressure, heart rate, weight, height, body mass index, waist and and hip circumferences, glycemia, total and HDL cholesterolemia, triglyceridemia, creatininemia;
6. evaluate the temporal trend of life styles distribution influencing health (physical activity, smoking habit, diet, alcohol consumption);
7. evaluate the temporal trend of the prevalence of conditions at risk (hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia, overweight and obesity, etc.);
8. evaluate the temporal trend of the prevalence of chronic kidney diseases (through determinations of creatininemia, albuminuria and creatininuria);
9. monitor the average daily consumption of sodium, potassium and iodine per capita in the Italian adult population (through determinations of sodium, potassium, albumin and iodine in 24-hour urine samples);
10. evaluate physical performance, attention and memory in the elderly population (65 years and older);
11. study the level of health literacy in the population.

The cross-sectional study of Ita-HES population surveys will constitute the baseline for longitudinal studies aimed at investigating the incidence and etiology of non-communicable diseases.

 

The survey is conducted in various Italian regions, distributed among the North, Center and South of Italy; in each region a sample of 200 individuals is enrolled, stratified by sex and age groups and randomly selected from the general population residing in a selected municipality. For each age group (35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74) and sex, 25 persons are drawn.

 

The detection of instrumental and haematochemical examinations follows standardized procedures and methodologies and quality control recommended by the international guidelines.

 

The Department of Cardiovascular, Endocrine-metabolic and Aging Diseases of the ISS coordinates the organization of the survey, training, methods standardization, data collection, implementation of measurements, quality control, data analysis and results dissemination.

 

Collaborating healthcare facilities conduct the population screening at the local level.

 

Thanks to the adoption of standardized methodologies and procedures, the surveys of the Progetto CUORE conducted in the last decades represent the Italian point of reference for the studies based on the direct examination of the population related to cardiovascular and other chronic-degenerative diseases.

 

The results of the data analysis are available for the single regions and for Italy as a whole in the CuoreData section.

 

Consult the pages dedicated to the survey:

 

Ongoing ITA-HES:

• Ita-HES – Italian Health Examination Survey - CUORE Project (2023)

Past editions of HES:

• OEC - Osservatorio Epidemiologico Cardiovascolare (Cardiovascular Epidemiological Observatory) - Italy, 1998-2002
• OEC/HES - Osservatorio Epidemiologico Cardiovascolare/Health Examination Survey (Cardiovascular Epidemiological Observatory/Health Examination Survey) –Italy, 2008-2012
• HES - Health Examination Survey – CUORE Project (Italy, 2018-2019).