[Effects of a cardiocerebrovascular disease prevention education program for postmenopausal middle-aged women].
OBJECTIVE
This study was conducted to examine effects of a cardiocerebrovascular disease (CVD) prevention education program on knowledge, self-efficacy and health behavior among postmenopausal middle-aged women.


METHODS
A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Participants were 53 postmenopausal middle-aged women who registered in two community culture centers in G metropolitan city. Experimental group (n=26) received a CVD prevention education program 8 times over 8 weeks. Knowledge, self-efficacy and health behavior of the participants were examined with self-report structured questionaries. Data were collected between October 15 and December 11, 2013, and were analyzed using chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test, and analysis of covariance with SPSS/PC version 21.0.


RESULTS
After the intervention the experimental group showed significant increases in the knowledge of CVD symptoms (p<.001) and CVD risk factors (p<.001), level of self-efficacy (p=.028) and health behavior (p<.001) compared to the control group. However, no significant difference was found between groups for knowledge of CVD prevention (p<.133).


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that a CVD prevention education program can be an effective strategy to improve knowledge on CVD symptoms and risk factors, self-efficacy and health behavior for postmenopausal middle-aged women.
Department of Nursing, Christian College of Nursing, Gwangju, Korea.
Soo Kyung
SK
Choi
Department of Nursing, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea. isakim@chosun.ac.kr.
In Sook
IS
Kim
D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Cardiocerebrovascular disease; Education; Health behavior; Knowledge; Self-efficacy