Knowledge, Habits and Standpoints of Novi Sad Adolescents in Relation to Cardiovascular Diseases and Possibilities of Their Prevention as Part of a Comprehensive Community Cardiovascular Control Programme

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) form the major public health problem in the industrialised world. It is a fact that the incidence of these diseases is very high in Yugoslavia, and especially in the province of Vojvodina. In 1976 Novi Sad, the capital of Vojvodina, joined the Comprehensive Community Cardiovascular Control Programme under the auspices of the WHO, as a pilot area. Since that time effective methods have been developed to reduce the CVD risk among adults, and in the last year interest has been directed to the programme for adolescents. The main interest was how the risk factors developed in childhood and whether their development could be influenced. Early adolescence is the age when it might be possible to teach young people how to maintain their health and live free of major disease in the future. The aims of this programme are: To examine the knowledge, habits and standpoints of Novi Sad adolescents (14–15 years of age) towards CVDs To obtain epidemiological information about the cardiovascular risk factors To establish the health education programme in all elementary schools (42), working with children, parents and teachers To evaluate a comprehensive community intervention programme concerning the reduction and prevention of CVD risk factors