Association between knowledge and risk for cardiovascular disease among older adults: A cross-sectional study in China

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular disease (CVD) knowledge among older adults, and further explore the association between knowledge and risk. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 1120 older adults who received physical examination in health centers. The participants were interviewed to obtain their behavioral risk factors related to CVD and clinical characteristics. A risk prediction chart was used to predict participants' cardiovascular risk based on clinical characteristics and behavioral risk factors. Participants' CVD knowledge was collected with a pretested knowledge questionnaire. RESULTS: Among the 1120 participants, 240 (21.4%) had low cardiovascular risk, 353 (31.5%) had moderate cardiovascular risk, 527 (47%) had high and very high cardiovascular risk. The knowledge level about CVD among 0.8% of the 1120 participants was good while that of 56.9% was poor. Lower CVD knowledge level, older age, lower income, and lower educational level were the independent factors of higher cardiovascular risk level. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the need to reduce the cardiovascular risk among older adults. CVD knowledge should be considered when developing health interventions.