Awareness, knowledge, perception of cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults of Kampala district.

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular disease causes 30% of deaths globally. By comparison, infectious disease accounts for 10% of global mortality. As these statistics indicate, Cardiovascular disease is the most common and yet one of the most preventable causes of death in the world. Rapid urbanization in Uganda is accompanied by rapid changes in lifestyle and environmental exposure that increase the burden of chronic cardiovascular diseases. Risk factors, modifiable or non-modifiable, exist that increases a person's chances of developing cardiovascular disease. Though some knowledge is available about the prevalence of the risk factors in Uganda, no information is available regarding the level of awareness, knowledge and perception among adults in Kampala. Objective: To assess the level of awareness, knowledge and perception of cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults of Kampala district. Methods: A qualitative survey was done and the sample was selected from the five divisions Makindye, Central, Nakawa, Kawempe, Lubaga of Kampala from July 2015 to October 2015. The sampling method was stratified random sampling (n=504). The data-gathering was self-report using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The results obtained from the knowledge, awareness and perception survey indicated that awareness of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease was high (80.4%) as compared to the levels of knowledge (49.8%) and perceived risk factor estimate(57%). Among those who had knowledge, 42.7% over estimated their risk of developing a cardiovascular disease in Kampala district. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that adults lack knowledge regarding the risk of cardiovascular disease risk factors and do not perceive themselves as being at risk for cardiovascular disease. Recommendations: Health workers should educate their patients on their CVD risk as a tool to improve adherence to healthy lifestyles and treatment, and ultimately, help prevent or delay CVD.