Knowledge and Perceived Susceptibility of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) among Saudi Female Teachers (original) (raw)

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the current knowledge levels, health beliefs, personal risk factors, and health-promoting behaviors related to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) among female Saudi teachers in Riyadh city. Methods: This study featured a cross-sectional descriptive design. A survey method was used to collect data from 400 women teachers who were randomly selected from ten public schools in five regions of Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect data. Results: The mean age (± standard deviation) of the surveyed women was 40.4 ± 6.5 years. Only 44.8% of the participating female teachers showed adequate knowledge of CVD, and very few of the teachers felt susceptible to CVD (13.3%). Of most concern, however, was the fact that although most participants (94%) identified physical activity as a preventive factor for heart disease, a significant proportion (76%) did not participate in regular physical activity. Furthermore, only half of the participants (53%) were in the habit of consuming fruits and vegetables on most days of the week. Conclusions: Our findings conclude that most of the participants involved in this study did not perceive themselves to be susceptible to CVD. It is therefore very important to develop adequate health education public programme to motivate women in changing their risky behavior and to engage them in positive health promotion activities aiming to reduce the risk of CVD.