Znajomość czynników ryzyka choroby wieńcowej wśród mieszkańców województw lubelskiego i świętokrzyskiego

Abstract

Introduction. Cardiovascular diseases, especially coronary artery disease, are the major cause of death in men and women in Poland. Knowledge and modification of major risk factors is the substantial way of cardiovascular diseases prevention. Almost 80% of cardiovascular diseases can be avoided by adhering strictly to a healthy regimen. Material and methods. We present a study conducted in one of the poorest regions of the European Union, the Lublin and Swietokrzyskie voivodeships called “the Polish Eastern Wall”, where the mortality due to cardiovascular diseases remains still very high. A questionnaire survey was conducted in 2011 in the Lublin and Swietokrzyskie voivodeships in adult residents of cities Zamosc and Kielce and the surrounding areas. We recruited 267 randomly chosen respondents: 144 in Lublin and 123 in Swietokrzyskie voivodships. Anonimous questionnaire with 36 questions was used as a diagnostic tool. The majority of questions were multiple choice (only one answer). The multiple choice questions were divided into 2 groups: one assessing knowledge of coronary artery disease risk factors and other concerning lifestyle of the studied population. Results. The residents of the villages had poorer knowledge of cardiovascular diseases risk factors in comparison to studied population in the cities. In Lublin voivodeship respondents believed that the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases were overweight and obesity, low physical activity, and in the next places: arterial hypertension, genetical predisposition, age and cigarette smoking. The knowledge of risk factors in Swietokrzyskie region was similar. The most common risk factors signalized by respondents in this region were: low physical activity (91.1%), overweight and obesity (89.4%), arterial hypertension (86.2%) and older age (84.5%). Conclusions. Lublin and Swietokrzyskie voivodeships residents presented good knowledge of major risk factors for coronary artery disease. The awareness of major risk factors for coronary artery disease did not encourage respondents to lifestyle modification. Improper behaviour of studied population has led to overweight and obesity.