Cardiovascular Disease Knowledge among Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients in Eastern Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are the major cause of mortality around the world. Knowledge about CVDs is an important subject in encouraging Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) patients to make health changes related to their condition. However, it is still not clear how much knowledge Iranian patients have about such diseases. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate CR patients’ knowledge of CVDs in East of Iran. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on CR patients who had referred to a CR center in Mashhad, Iran between November 2016 and May 2017. A total of 161 patients were recruited using convenience sampling method. A reliable and valid questionnaire was used to assess the patients’ knowledge. The data were entered into the SPSS statistical software, version 16 and were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the patients was 54.12 ± 14.57 years (range: 19 to 74 years). Mean score of knowledge about CVDs was 40.66 ± 17.19. Most of the participants had a low level of knowledge about CVDs (52.8%). The results showed a significant difference between the mean scores of knowledge in different age groups (P = 0.008) and education levels (P = 0.001). Indeed, men had a higher level of knowledge in exercise (P = 0.009) and psychosocial risk subscales (P = 0.012). Conclusions: The participants showed an insufficient level of knowledge about CVDs. Thus, appropriate training programs are recommended to improve such patients’ knowledge of CVDs. The research findings also provided a sound and fundamental basis for future studies in this field.