The Cholesterol Saga: Whither Health Promotion?

Excerpt

In this issue, Taylor and colleagues (1) make valuable modeling contributions to a phenomenon for which an appropriate appellation might be "The Cholesterol Saga. " For the general public, the saga provides ample rationale for noncompliance with public health recommendations. For the critical professional observer, the story is an allegory for much that is problematic in the health promotion movement.

We currently expend considerable resources in attempts to alter a large number of individual lifestyles but the relationships of these modifications to health status and longevity remain very controversial. The Cholesterol Saga is illustrative, because many health promotion efforts aim