Factors Associated with Low Awareness of Heart Failure in the General Population of Korea

Factors associated with low heart failure (HF) awareness have not been well-evaluated. This study was conducted to find out which demographic features would be associated with low HF awareness in the general population of Korea.

A telephone interview was conducted with 1,032 adults (58 years and 50.6% were male) across the country. Based on answer to 15 questions about HF, we scored from 0 to 15 points (mean, 7.53±2.75; median, 8; interquartile range, 6-9). A score of <8 was defined as low HF awareness, and a score of ≥8 was defined as high HF awareness.

A total of 478 subjects (46.3%) had low HF awareness. HF awareness scores were 5.18±1.85 and 9.55±1.50 in subjects of low and high HF awareness groups, respectively. Subjects with low HF awareness were older, more female-dominant, more diabetic, lower educational and house hold income levels, and more frequently living in rural areas, compared to those with high HF awareness (p<0.05 for each). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, older age (≥67 years: odds ratio [OR], 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-2.19; p=0.004), female sex (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.02-1.73; p=0.034) and low educational level (high school graduate or less vs. college graduate: OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.75-3.22; p<0.001) were significantly associated with low HF awareness even after controlling for potential confounders.

Older age, female sex, and lower level of education were independently associated with low HF awareness in the general Korean population. More attention and education are needed for these vulnerable groups to improve HF awareness.