The prevalence and public knowledge, attitude, and Practice towards cardiovascular diseases risk factors in Jimma town, southwest ethiopia

Abstract

Background CVD risk factor KAP (knowledge, attitude&practice) gaps are significant obstacles to successful CVD prevention and care. Despite the rise in prevalence of CVDs risk factors in Ethiopia, there is a lack of Studies to comprehensively assess the magnitude and KAP towards them which is true of Jimma Town. Objective: - To assess the magnitude of CVD risk factors and public KAP towards them in Jimma town Method: - A Community based cross-sectional study was conducted in Jimma Town, between 1st and 28th November 2021 to include a person of age 18 years or above who fulfilled inclusion criteria. A multi-stage sampling technique was utilized to get the total sample size of 332. The data were collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Data entry was done by Epidata version 3.2 software & analysis was conducted with SPSS, version 26. Results: - About 56.4% of the participants had good knowledge of CVDs risk factors. They had a poor attitude towards CVDs risk factors. About 70.2% didn’t do moderate-intensity exercise, and 85.2% didn’t do vigorous-intensity exercise. Only 2.4% and 8.7% of the participants had consumed vegetables and fruits daily respectively. About 17.8% of them drank alcohol,19.9% chewed khat and 11.4 % were either active or second-hand smokers. Only 22.3% of them had normal blood pressure (BP). About 55% of females &39.9 % of males had central obesity. The average measured CVDs risk was 1.44±1.19. About 6.1 % of them had family history of CVDs. Conclusion & Recommendations: - The KAP of this population towards CVDs risk factors were low amid the rise of CVDs risk factors at an alarming rate. We recommend the local health bureau, the ministry of health, and other stakeholders should find a way to increase the KAP of this population, through media campaigns, promotions &others