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Investigation of the variables that impact upon the knowledge of cardiac risk factors
Hui Liew1, David McD Taylor, Alwie Tjipto
1Emergency Department, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia.
Insights
Patients demonstrate poor knowledge of cardiac disease risk factors, highlighting a need for improved public health education. General practitioners and media are key information sources, suggesting targeted interventions are necessary.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Health Education
Background:
- Effective modification of cardiac disease risk factors relies on patient awareness.
- Understanding factors influencing this awareness is crucial for developing targeted health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess patient knowledge of cardiac disease risk factors.
- To identify variables associated with the level of risk factor knowledge.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 226 emergency department patients.
- Patients recalled cardiac risk factors and rated their perceived risk.
- Univariate and multivariate regression analyses identified factors influencing knowledge scores.
Main Results:
- The average knowledge score was low (2.5/12), indicating poor understanding of cardiac risk factors.
- Smoking, poor diet, and stress were commonly identified factors.
- Knowledge was significantly associated with English as a first language, age, and receipt of cardiac health information.
Conclusions:
- Patient knowledge regarding cardiac disease risk factors is generally inadequate.
- General practitioners and media play vital roles in disseminating health information.
- Targeted educational strategies are needed, especially for patient subgroups with low knowledge.
Objective:
Awareness of cardiac disease risk factors is required before they can be modified. The present study aimed to investigate risk factor knowledge and the variables that impact upon this knowledge.
Methods:
We undertook an analytical, cross-sectional survey of 226 patients attending an ED. Patients were asked to recall as many cardiac risk factors as possible and to rate the risk of nine given risk factors. Data relating to sources of risk factor information were collected. Uni- and multivariate (multiple linear regression) analyses determined variables that impacted upon the risk factor knowledge score.
Results:
Mean patient age was 60.2 +/- 15 years, 55.3% (95% confidence interval 48.6-61.9) were male and 19.9% (95% confidence interval 15.0-25.8) had known cardiac disease. The mean risk factor knowledge score of 2.5 +/- 1.5 out of a possible 12 (median 3) was indicative of poor knowledge. Smoking, poor diet and stress/worry/tension were the most common factors reported. Variables impacting significantly on the knowledge score were English as a first language (P < 0.001), age (negative correlation, P < 0.001) and the receipt of information relating to cardiac health (P < 0.001). The patients' general practitioner and the media were the most important sources of information.
Conclusions:
Patients' knowledge of cardiac risk factors is generally poor and education strategies are indicated. At the individual level, the general practitioner is likely to remain as an important influence on knowledge. However, complementary media education programs are indicated at the community level. Patient subgroups at 'high risk' through poor knowledge should be specifically targeted.
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