High levels of confusion for cholesterol awareness campaigns

To the Editor: The author of “High levels of confusion for cholesterol awareness campaigns”1 identifies my comment as the source of her perplexity. My remark, which Hall quotes in relation to the “Test the Nation” campaign, was actually given in response to a question about the Pfizer-sponsored “National Cholesterol Awareness Campaign”, which ran simultaneously. It seemed too inconsequential to request correction of the relevant newspaper article,2 because public health guidelines differ in regard to the target population for lipid testing. My comment reflected conservative Australian guidelines.3 It is well known that other sources recommend more widespread testing of adults.4 Hall’s confusion was a rhetorical device to justify her discussion of “condition branding” and to “explore the motivations” of the campaigns.