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

Abstract 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.