Perceptions of risk factors of cardiovascular disease and cardiac rehabilitation: a cross-sectional study targeting the Chinese population in the Midlands, UK.
OBJECTIVE
To find out and explore the knowledge and opinion of Chinese people on cardiovascular disease and awareness of cardiac rehabilitation.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study using 14-item bilingual (Chinese and English) questionnaires that include information on demographics, health status, cardiovascular disease related knowledge and perception, and awareness and understanding of the cardiac rehabilitation programme.


METHODS
Chinese community groups in the Midlands, UK from January to April 2008.


METHODS
436 questionnaires from Chinese adults over 18 were obtained.


METHODS
Current knowledge and attitude towards cardiovascular disease and awareness of cardiac rehabilitation.


RESULTS
Obesity was the most common risk factor identified by 80.7% of participants. Those originated from China had significantly less knowledge compared with subjects from other countries (p<0.001). People who have had exposure or experience of cardiac disease rated a higher risk of cardiac disease for Chinese living in the UK than people without experience. A majority (81.7%) used orthodox medicine and perceived it to be most effective against cardiac disease. Only 30% of participants were aware of cardiac rehabilitation.


CONCLUSIONS
The coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors of Chinese population have increased significantly in the last decade. Cardiac rehabilitation awareness was poor among the sample population of this study and language barrier is still a problem. More large studies on Chinese population assessing CAD risk should be done to provide more evidence on CAD prevention for this growing population in the Western world.
ITU and Anaesthetics Department, Peterborough City Hospital, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Tay
T
Za
Department of Medicine, Worcester Acute Hospital, Worcester, Worcestershire, UK.
Jeff C F
JC
Lau
Department of Medicine, New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton, UK.
Arthur C K
AC
Wong
Department of Medicine, Worcester Acute Hospital, Worcester, Worcestershire, UK.
Alice W S
AW
Wong
Department of Medicine, Sandwell Hospital, West Midlands, Birmingham, UK.
Sally
S
Lui
Department of Surgery, Arrowe Park Hospital, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK.
James W D
JW
Fong
Department of Medicine, Sandwell Hospital, West Midlands, Birmingham, UK.
Patrick Y C
PY
Chow
Department of Public Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK.
Kate B
KB
Jolly
Intensive care; cardiac function; cardiac surgery; congenital heart disease; coronary artery disease