Legs for Life^® National Screening Program

Peripheral vascular disease (PVD), a prevalent yet under-diagnosed and under-treated condition, is common in individuals over age 50. Ten million Americans have PVD, putting them at increased risk of heart attack, stroke and life-threatening aneurysms. Many people dismiss PVD symptoms as a “normal” part of aging and don’t seek medical help. Only about half of those with symptoms have been diagnosed with PVD, and only half of those are in treatment.

The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) sought to develop a program to educate consumers about PVD and to encourage those at high risk to discuss the disease with their physician. There also was a need to address a lack of information about PVD among primary care physicians and to help them better evaluate their patients.

A national screening program for PVD seemed to be the solution. In 1998, PCI worked with SIR to design and launch a program that would educate consumers and motivate them to determine their PVD status, while establishing communication with primary care physicians and other health professionals who play a role in the diagnosis or treatment of this very common disease.

After a successful 10-city pilot in 1998, the Legs For Life® National Screening Week was launched nationally in September 1999. Every September, PVD Awareness Month, hundreds of hospitals, outpatient facilities, senior centers and other sites offer free PVD screenings. Nearly 250,000 people have been screened for PVD to date, with approximately one in four found to be at risk.

In 2001, the program expanded to include an optional abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening component, in keeping with the program’s mission to improve overall cardiovascular health. The following year, more than half of all Legs For Life screening sites offered screenings for both PVD and AAA. To date, 29,000 people have been screened for AAA, with nearly one in four people determined to be at risk of this potentially deadly disease.

From its inception, the Legs For Life program has sought to collaborate with all vascular specialties, including the American College of Cardiology and the Society for Vascular Medicine and Biology. In 2002, a summit was held to further increase participation and collaboration among: all vascular societies and medical specialties that raise awareness, diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease; organizations representing patients at risk; private philanthropies; nonprofit and public entities (including the NIH); and all other parties having an expressed interest in the field.

Each participating Legs For Life screening site receives a “Step-By-Step Guide” detailing how to organize and promote PVD and AAA screenings, as well as a “Starter Kit” containing promotional posters and flyers, registration forms and educational materials in quantity. PCI market coordinators provide year-round counsel and assistance by telephone to participating physicians, nurses, marketing/PR teams and others involved in organizing local screenings.

PCI also manages a national media campaign to drive consumer awareness and generate inquiries to a toll-free number and a screening site locator on the SIR-hosted Legs For Life Web site (www.legsforlife.org). Tens of thousands of consumers have requested information and made free screening appointments each year in response to media coverage. Publicity reaching 367.4 million consumers has appeared in such media as Parade Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post, as well as numerous other print and TV placements in markets across the country. Many of the stories included the Legs For Life toll-free information line and URL, resulting in more than 90,000 inquires annually to the toll-free number and Web site, and filling most sites to or beyond their screening capacity.

(1998-2002)

The Legs For Life screening program has netted excellent five-year results:

• Since 1998, 2,240 Legs For Life screenings have been held over nearly 2,655 days in hospitals, clinics and senior centers, in all but a handful of states in the U.S.
• Nearly 250,000 adults have been screened for PVD, a quarter of whom were identified as being at high or moderate risk for PVD and referred to their personal physician for a complete evaluation.
• Since the 2000 AAA pilot, more than 29,000 adults have been screened for AAA, a quarter of whom were identified as being at high or moderate risk for AAA and referred to their personal physician for follow-up.
• Every year an average of 5,400 often competing medical professionals have participated in Legs For Life screenings, including vascular surgeons, cardiologists and podiatrists; as well as vascular nurses, RNs, technicians, medical school students and other health professionals.
• Since 1998, over 200,000 primary care and other referring physicians have been contacted with information about PVD, AAA and the Legs For Life Screening program. Follow-up letters also are sent alerting physicians of their patients' PVD and AAA status.
• National and site-generated media coverage of the Legs For Life program for the past five years has resulted in placements reaching an estimated audience of 367.4 million people.
• More than 90,000 consumers annually visit the Legs For Life Web site or have called the Society's toll-free number to request free patient education brochures and locate screenings in their area.