Coronary heart disease: health knowledge and behaviour

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Cardiovascular Health
• Health Literacy

Background:

• Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) remains a significant public health concern.
• Understanding public knowledge is crucial for effective health promotion and disease prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the general public's knowledge of CHD in Northern Ireland.
• To identify factors associated with higher levels of CHD understanding.

Main Methods:

• A face-to-face interview-administered questionnaire was used.
• 1,000 members of the general public across six provincial centres were surveyed.
• CHD knowledge was quantified as a continuous variable.

Main Results:

• Overall public knowledge and understanding of CHD were found to be limited.
• Higher CHD knowledge correlated with regular exercise, healthy diet, higher education, and socioeconomic status.
• While recognizing pharmacists' role in medication management, the public underestimated their broader role in CHD detection and management.

Conclusions:

• Limited CHD knowledge may lead to poor preventative behaviors and suboptimal health outcomes.
• Community pharmacists need to develop and promote accessible CHD services to increase public recognition of their role.
• Targeted health education is necessary to improve public understanding and engagement in CHD prevention.