title: Change in knowledge in a coronary heart disease risk factor intervention study in three communities.
abstract: We investigated health and diet knowledge as it relates to coronary heart disease (CHD) in three rural areas which participated in a community-oriented CHD risk factor intervention study. Knowledge of risk factors (risk knowledge) was fairly satisfactory at baseline, but diet knowledge was poor. Males, the young, and individuals with a lower level of education had less knowledge. Intervention consisted of a 3-year small mass media programme in one community (low-intensity intervention, LII), additional interpersonal intervention to high-risk individuals in the second (high-intensity intervention, HII), and no intervention in the control community (C). In the cohorts, with the baseline survey and the follow-up study 4 years apart, knowledge improved by 8.1% points in males (7.5% in females) in the HII community and by 7.1% (6.5%) in the LII community, compared to 5.5% (4.8%) in the C community (P less than 0.01). Diet knowledge improved more than risk knowledge, and individuals with lower initial scores benefitted most. Female scored highest. Educational level made a modest positive contribution to knowledge gain, after adjusting for differences in baseline knowledge. High-risk individuals did not have better knowledge at baseline, nor did they gain more from the intervention. We conclude that community intervention over a 4 year period, based on community diagnosis and tailored to the community's needs, can improve health knowledge.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Nutritional Diseases, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Langenhoven
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Rossouw
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Jooste
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Chalton
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Swanepoel
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Rossouw
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Jordaan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steyn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology*; D004032:Diet; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires