title: Cardiovascular risk factors among college students: Knowledge, perception, and risk assessment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess college students' knowledge and perception of cardiovascular risk factors and to screen for their cardiovascular risks.
  
  
  METHODS
  The final sample that responded to recruitment consisted of 158 college students from a midwestern university.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional, descriptive study was performed using convenience sampling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  College students were knowledgeable about cardiovascular risk factors but did not perceive themselves at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors was correlated with the lifetime risk estimates (ρ = .17, p = .048), and perception of cardiovascular risk was positively associated with 30-year CVD risk estimates (ρ = .16, p = .048). More than 50% of the participants had 1 or more cardiovascular risk factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High knowledge level of cardiovascular risk factors was not sufficient to lower cardiovascular risks within this study population, but changing perception of cardiovascular risk factors may play a bigger role in reducing long-term cardiovascular risks.
authors.affiliation: a School of Nursing , University of Nevada , Las Vegas , Las Vegas , Nevada , USA.
authors.forename: Dieu-My T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.affiliation: b College of Nursing , University of Nebraska Medical Center , Lincoln , Nebraska , USA.
authors.forename: Lani M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.affiliation: b College of Nursing , University of Nebraska Medical Center , Lincoln , Nebraska , USA.
authors.forename: Kevin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kupzyk
authors.affiliation: c School of Medicine , Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center , Lubbock , Texas , USA.
authors.forename: Scott W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Shurmur
authors.affiliation: b College of Nursing , University of Nebraska Medical Center , Lincoln , Nebraska , USA.
authors.forename: Carol H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Pullen
authors.affiliation: b College of Nursing , University of Nebraska Medical Center , Lincoln , Nebraska , USA.
authors.forename: Bernice C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Yates
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D010465:Perception; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities / Q000458:organization & administration
keywords: Cardiovascular risk factors; college students; knowledge; perception; risk assessments