We have fitted Preece-Baines model 1, double logistic, logistic and Gompertz functions to longitudinal data on the growth in height of 35 Belgian girls, followed from birth to 18.0 years. The Preece-Baines model 1 showed significantly lower residual mean squares than the double logistic function, when fitted to data beyond the age of 1.0 year. The former model was also most robust towards variations in the lower age bound by the subject's data series and always described the adolescent spurt better than the latter. Both models fitted the data badly when measurements before the age of 1.0 year were included, and they usually estimated the point at take-off too early. Over the adolescent cycle, only, the logistic function fitted our data slightly better than the Gompertz function, with significantly lower pooled residual mean squares, though a slightly worse performance in the runs-test.

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The Belgian Heart Disease Prevention Project was a controlled, randomized multifactorial intervention trial in middle-aged men which lasted 6 years. Significant net differences between intervention and control groups were observed in change in risk profile, in total mortality and in CHD incidence. The net difference in risk profile change was greatest at two years, intermediate at four years and minimal at six years. Total and cause-specific mortality rates were systematically followed from the 6th to the 10th year. Follow-up at 10 years was 99.3% complete. The differences between intervention and control groups in total, coronary and cardiovascular mortality reduced from the 6th to the 10th year. The results suggest that changes in risk profile are rapidly followed by changes in cardiovascular mortality, but this applies in both directions. Thus risk reduction should be maintained in order to achieve a long-lasting preventive effect.