ResearchResearch AreasCardiovascular DiseasePREMIER

PREMIER: A Trial of Lifestyle Interventions for Blood Pressure Control

PREMIER is a research study that tested the effects of comprehensive and simultaneous lifestyle changes on blood pressure. Weight loss, exercise, and a healthy diet each reduce blood pressure and control hypertension without medication. PREMIER compared three different programs that combine lifestyle changes to reduce blood pressure.

This study showed that people with above-optimal blood pressure, including stage 1 hypertension, can successfully make multiple lifestyle changes that lower blood pressure. Together, these lifestyle changes should substantially lower the risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases, including diabetes, osteoporosis, and perhaps cancer. Details of these results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2003.

This website is for those who want more information about the design and conduct of PREMIER, or who are interested in the intervention materials used in the study. If used or adapted for other projects, please state that the materials were used with permission of the PREMIER collaborative research group.

PREMIER Intervention

Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Group leader and participant materials for Groups Band C can be found by following the links below:

PREMIER A:

An advice-only comparison group

PREMIER B:

A behavioral intervention where participants made lifestyle changes to increase physical activity, lose weight, reduce sodium intake, and limit alcohol intake.

Premier C:

Study Design and Results

Main Outcomes

Appel LJ, Champagne CM, Harsha DW, Cooper LS, Obarzanek E, Elmer PJ, Stevens VJ, Vollmer WM, Lin PH, Svetkey LP, Stedman SW, Young DR; Writing Group of the PREMIER Collaborative Research Group. Effects of comprehensive lifestyle modification on blood pressure control: main results of the PREMIER clinical trial. JAMA. 2003 Apr 23-30;289(16):2083-93.

Study Design

Svetkey L, Harsha D, Vollmer W, Stevens V, Obarzanek E, Elmer P, et al. Premier: A clinical trial of comprehensive lifestyle modification for blood pressure control: Rationale, design and baseline characteristics. Ann Epidemiology 2003;13:462-471.

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