Knowledge of cardiovascular disease risk factors among the Canadian population: relationships with indicators of socioeconomic status
Louise Potvin; Lucie Richard; Alison C. Edwards
Supplement to CMAJ 1999;162(9 Suppl)
Abstract
Background: We examined the ability of adult Canadians to recall cardiovascular disease risk factors to determine the associations between their ability to recall risk factors for cardiovascular disease and their socioeconomic status.
Methods: This study used the database assembled by the Canadian Heart Health Surveys Research Group between 1986 and 1992 – a stratified representative sample comprising 23 129 Canadian residents aged 18 to 74. Nurses administered a standard questionnaire asking respondents to list the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease: fat in food, smoking, lack of exercise, excess weight, elevated blood cholesterol and high blood pressure. Six logistic regressions examined the multivariate associations between ability to recall each risk factor with education, income adequacy, occupation, sex, age, marital status and province of residence.
Results: More people knew about the behaviour-related risk factors for cardiovascular disease than about the physiologic risk factors: 60% recalled fat in food, 52% smoking and 41% lack of exercise, but only 32% identified weight, 27% cholesterol and 22% high blood pressure. Education was the socioeconomic status indicator most strongly and consistently associated with the ability to recall risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The odds ratios of reporting an association of the risks between people with elementary education and those with university degrees varied between 0.16 (95% confidence interval 0.12 to 0.22) for lack of exercise to 0.55 (95% confidence interval 0.39 to 0.77) for smoking.
Interpretation: People in categories at greater risk of cardiovascular disease, such as those aged 65 or more or those with only elementary education, are less able to recall important cardiovascular disease risk factors.
We thank the members of the Canadian Heart Health Surveys Research Group for access to the data of the Canadian heart health surveys: C. Balram, P. Connelly, A. Edwards, D. Gelskey, K. Hogan, M. Joffres, R. Lessard, S. MacDonald, D. MacLean, E. Macleod, M. Nargundkar, B. O'Connor, G. Paradis, A. Petrasovits, B. Reeder, R. Schabas, S. Stachenko, T. Young. We also acknowledge the helpful comments made on previous drafts by the members of this monograph group, especially Doreen Neville, the monograph coordinator.
Funding has been provided in part by the National Health Research and Development Program, Health Canada; provincial ministries of health and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Dr. Potvin is with the Groupe de recherche interdisciplinaire en santé, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Que.; Dr. Richard is with the Groupe de recherche interdisciplinaire en santé and Faculty of Nursing, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Que.; Ms. Edwards is with the Division of Community Health, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld.
Louise Potvin is an MRC scientist (MRC H3-17299-AP007270) and Lucie Richard is an MRC scholar (MARC H4-33565-AP007366).
This article has been peer reviewed.
Reprint requests to: Dr. Louise Potvin, GRIS/Université de Montréal, PO Box 6128, Station Centre-Ville, Montreal QC H3C 3J7
© Her majesty the Queen in right of Canada 2000 as represented by the Ministry of Health
