Health Related knowledge and Behaviours among Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is growing as a significant public health problem, it is determined as one of major causes of death globally. It is a term given to heart problems caused by narrowing or blockage of coronary arteries which is usually caused by atherosclerosis. Objective: To explore the health-related knowledge and behaviors among patients with CAD. Design: an exploratory descriptive research design. Setting: The study was conducted at the outpatient cardiac clinic of Makkah hospitals, Saudi Arabia. Subjects: A convenient sample of 90 adult patients with coronary artery disease. Tools: Two tools were used for data collection. The first tool was Health Related Knowledge among Patients with Coronary Artery Disease Structured Interview Schedule; the second tool was Health Related Behaviors among Patients with Coronary Artery Disease (HRBs-CAD) Structured Interview Schedule. Results: Findings of the present study revealed that the studied patients had bad knowledge related to nature of coronary artery disease and had negative health behaviors regarding CAD. In addition, there was a significant statistical positive relation between socio-demographic characteristics and patients’ score of overall knowledge and overall health related behaviors. Conclusion: The study concluded that patients demonstrated bad knowledge level and negative level of health related behaviors regarding CAD. Recommendations: Development and application of educational sessions for patients to improve their knowledge about the nature of coronary artery disease, as well as illustrated booklets, handouts, and audiovisual materials should be provided.