Review question/objective What is the effectiveness of primary health education or intervention programs on improving knowledge of risks associated with heart disease for rural women? More specifically, the research questions are: • Do primary health education programs improve knowledge of risk factors for heart disease for rural women? • Does this knowledge translate to lifestyle changes for rural women and reduce their risk of future heart disease? Types of participants The review will consider all studies reporting interventions that included women aged 18-65 years, living in rural areas, who participated in primary health care education programs. Studies that included children or interventions for cardiac rehabilitation will be excluded. Types of intervention(s)/phenomena of interest The interventions of interest for this review are studies that evaluate the effectiveness of primary health education or intervention programs aimed at improving rural women’s knowledge of their risk of heart disease, eg group work, videos, telephone, workshops, educational material and counselling. Types of outcomes Primary outcomes of interest for this review include the following outcome measures: • knowledge level of heart disease risk factors • Lifestyle modification eg dietary improvements such as reduced daily salt intake, increased intake of fruit and vegetables and decreased intake of fat, increased frequency of exercise, decreased levels of smoking, alcohol intake within national guidelines, • Health assessment measures eg blood pressure, body weight, cholesterol levels