Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Health Knowledge among Freshman College Students with a Family History of Cardiovascular Disease

The authors compared the cardiovascular health knowledge (CVHK), perceptions regarding potential cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, and health behavior of 69 freshmen with a family history of CVD and 154 freshmen without this history. The self-reported weights of students with a CVD family history were higher than those of their counterparts (p < 0.02 for males and p < 0.05 for females). Only a small number of students who felt that they were overweight actually had a ponderal index at or above the 75th percentile. Compared to those without a family CVD history, students with this history were somewhat more likely to be smokers, reported higher total number of smoker parents (p < 0.05), were less likely to exercise, reported similar health education efforts, and were less likely to have had a blood cholesterol test. Parents' education and income did not appear to influence students' health behaviors and perceptions. The students' understanding of CVHK in general and that of CV patho-physiology in particular was very low, as revealed by the Iowa Cardiovascular Health Test. The students' high degree of subjectivity regarding self-perception, absence of marked differences in health behavior (despite a family history of CVD), and the low level of CVDK show the need for improved education regarding CVD in this young population.