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Abstract
We study health prevention efforts after acute cardiovascular events using linked Dutch administrative and survey data. In the six years after the event, smoking and alcohol consumption decrease substantially, while preventive medication uptake is near-universal and persistent. Individuals also make forward-looking care and insurance choices. While cardiovascular events impact health, perceived health, and control beliefs, none of these channels explains the behavioral effects, which are similar across socioeconomic and health-risk groups. Our results suggest that the interaction of salient health shocks with broader health-system characteristics, rather than individual-level characteristics or the provision of information through these events, drives successful prevention