Is cardiovascular risk factor knowledge sufficient to influence behavior?

This paper examines the level of cardiovascular risk knowledge in the general population and the relationship between such knowledge and behavior. The following questions are addressed: (1) How informed is the general population about what persons can do to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease? (2) How do sociodemographic factors, self-perceptions of health, and cardiovascular risk factors relate to knowledge? (3) Is there a relationship between knowledge and behavior? (4) What might explain apparent inconsistencies between knowledge and behavior? The data used in this paper derive from a random sample of 732 men and women form the greater Boston area. We assessed cardiovascular risk factor knowledge by asking respondents what specific steps a person could take to make a heart attack or stroke less likely. Risk factors (including physiological measures), sociodemographic factors, and self-perceptions of health also were measured. Results showed that respondents were most knowledgeable about the relationships of exercise and cholesterol to heart disease. Knowledge was related positively to education, being female, and exercising. When we compared knowledge with behavior, results showed that for smokers and those who were overweight, risk was related to awareness, thus suggesting that knowledge does not lead necessarily to risk-reducing behavior. Implications of these results in terms of education and prevention are discussed.