Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Toward Cardiovascular Diseases in the Lebanese Population

Abstract

Background & Objective: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death globally. Assessing CVD knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) is necessary to spread awareness about CVD in Lebanon, their corresponding risk factors, and behaviors in which individuals can avoid or minimize the possibility of developing a CVD. Subjects & Methods: This was a case-control analytical study that targeted 921 CVD and non-CVD subjects. A questionnaire form was used to collect data related to patients’ demographics, socioeconomic status, habits, medical and family history, KAP towards CVD, and source of information. Data was analyzed using SPSS v.25. Results: Data from 921 participants were distributed over the CVD group (52.6% males aged 58.3 ± 13.7 years [n = 460]) and the non-CVD group (47.7% males aged 36.3 ± 15.4 years [n = 461]). CVD patients were significantly older than non-CVD subjects (p < 0.001). All three KAP scores of both groups were of poor to fair levels. Both CVD knowledge and attitude mean scores in CVD patients (26.6 ± 5.2 over 40 [66.50%] and 63.3 ± 10.2 over 85 [74.47%], respectively) were significantly higher than the ones of non-CVD subjects (23.5 ± 7.9 over 40 [58.75%] and 61.4 ± 12.4 over 85 [72.74%], respectively, p < 0.001). However, the CVD mean practice score was significantly lower in CVD patients (6.0 ± 1.7 over 9 [66.67%]) than the one of non-CVD subjects (6.3 ± 2.2 over 9 [70.00%] p < 0.001). Mostly, educational level (p < 0.001), governorate (p < 0.01), and smoking (p < 0.001) were predictors of KAP CVD in both groups. Conclusion: With an overall limited knowledge, attitude, and practice toward CVDs, the Lebanese population (with CVD or non-CVD) needs targeted national campaigns about CVD according to the identified predictors of CVD KAP to prevent and to alleviate the complications due to CVDs.

Evaluating knowledge, attitude, and physical activity levels related to cardiovascular disease in Egyptian adults with and without cardiovascular disease: a community-based cross-sectional study

“…Regarding physical activity per week, it was also at a moderate level. When we examined each subgroup separately, we found that the average knowledge score related to CVD in CVD patients was lower than non-CVD responders, unlike the Machaalani et al study in which CVD patients showed more knowledge about CVD than non-CVD responders [ 12 ]. However, as was also noticed in other studies, the degree of knowledge in both sub-populations remained low.…”

“…Among the whole population in our study, 88.5% correctly acknowledged the relationship between CVD and the heart, while 84.4% understood that hypertension is a CVD risk factor. Likewise, other studies demonstrated that patients were mostly aware of smoking, diabetes, and hypertension as risk factors for CVD [ 10 , 12 ]. However, in our study, 57.7% believe that most cancer is not a CVD risk factor, and 69.4% incorrectly think that cardiovascular disease is not the primary cause of death in diabetic patients.…”

“…The validated survey instrument initially originated from a previous study conducted in Lebanon by Machaalani et al [ 12 ] and was adapted to suit the Egyptian population for this research endeavor. Rigorous review processes were undertaken to ensure the validity and reliability of the KAP scores.…”

“…Numerous global studies demonstrate the low level of population-level knowledge, attitude, and physical activity (KAP) on CVDs and emphasize the significance of increasing the KAP level to lessen the burden of CVDs [10][11][12]. Studies on Egyptians' awareness of heart disease and its modifiable risk factors are scarce.…”

The perception of palpitations and its risk factors among general population in the western region of Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

“…Therefore, increasing education and awareness is critical. Machaalani et al, (2022) reported that the knowledge and practices regarding cardiovascular diseases were undesirable and recommended well-structured national awareness events to be carried out. Physiological factors are one of the most common causes of palpitations (Alanzi et al, 2020).…”