Women's Knowledge and Attitude toward Cardiovascular Diseases Risk Factors and Its Relation with Obesity and Biochemical Factors

As cardiovascular diseases are prevalent in developing countries, one of effective strategies in the prevention of such diseases is to improve knowledge and attitude toward the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. This study was aimed to assess women’s knowledge and attitude toward cardiovascular disease risk factors and its relation with obesity and metabolic parameters. In this cross-sectional study, 89 women aged 11-67 years were interviewed face to face using a valid questionnaire to assess their knowledge and attitude toward cardiovascular disease risk factors. The knowledge and attitude status was classified into tertiles. After 12-14 hours of fasting, blood samples were taken and serum lipid profile and glucose were assessed. Obesity indices including waist circumference, body mass index and waist to stature ratio were estimated. More than 70% of subjects had desirable knowledge and attitude. The knowledge and attitude status showed significant positive association with educational level and significant negative relationship with age, total cholesterol, LDL-c and the obesity indices. It is concluded that obesity and hypercholesterolemia are important factors influenced by the knowledge and attitude toward risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.