Knowledge regarding cardiovascular risk factors among Chinese medical students

Background A comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors is the foundation of CVD prevention and treatment. This study assessed the awareness of CVD risk factors and treatment among Chinese medical students. Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 48 3 rd year medical students who had finished preclinical course of medicine and 61 4 th year medical students who had finished their rotation in Internal Medicine’s Ambulatory Medicine clerkship from Peking University. The knowledge of CVD risk factors and therapeutic strategy was assessed by a self-administered questionnaire. Results Only about 50% of the 4 th year students knew the target value of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol for diabetic patients and blood pressure for high-risk patients, while the proportions in 3 rd year students were 20.8% and 29.2%, respectively. Although more than 90% students would prescribe cholesterol-lowering therapy to high-risk patients, few students knew the therapy of hypertriglyceridemia (2.1% and 27.9% of 3 rd and 4 th year students, respectively, p =0.001) or combined dyslipidemia. The awareness of their own lipid profile or blood glucose level was not as good as their blood pressure. Conclusions There is an urgent need to improve the knowledge of CVD risk factors and the details of therapeutic strategies among Chinese medical students.