What do congregate meal participants know about heart health and heart-healthy nutrition?

A survey on heart health knowledge was administered to 180 congregate meal participants at ten sites in two upstate New York counties. Respondents had relatively high awareness of the risks of cigarette smoking and high blood pressure, as well as of the dietary recommendations for lowering blood pressure levels. There was marked misinformation about dietary approaches to lowering blood cholesterol levels. Assessment of the heart-healthy attributes of 20 congregate meals served over a four-week period revealed that the mean percentages of fat calories were 36% and 38% in both counties. In one county, mean sodium intake per meal among 20 meals was 1900 mg, ranging from 955-2799 mg.