Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) play an increasingly important role as the major cause of mortality and morbidity and are one of the leading health issues across the world[1–3]. In our country, deaths associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are at the top of the list. In an attempt to decrease the rate of mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cardiovascular risk factors should be brought under control. Economic transformation, urbanization, industrialization, and globalization inducing life style changes such as tobacco use,physicalinactivity,and unhealthy diet are strictly correlated with the progression of heart diseases. Life expectancy rises rapidly in developed and developing countries and people are exposed to these risk factors for a longer time
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) play an increasingly important role as the major cause of mortality and morbidity and are one of the leading health issues across the world[1–3]. In our country, deaths associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are at the top of the list. In an attempt to decrease the rate of mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cardiovascular risk factors should be brought under control. Economic transformation, urbanization, industrialization, and globalization inducing life style changes such as tobacco use,physicalinactivity,and unhealthy diet are strictly correlated with the progression of heart diseases. Life expectancy rises rapidly in developed and developing countries and people are exposed to these risk factors for a longer time[4]. Increased rates of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and smoking in women today lead to a significant rise in morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovasculardiseases. Turkish women in particular demonstrate much more negative characteristics than men in terms of some risk factors [5].
Among the cardiovascular risk factors, age, gender, and genetic/ethnical factors are in the “unchangeable factors” group.Cigarettes and other tobacco products,unhealthy eating habits, sedentary living, being overweight, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes are in the main “modifiable” cardiovascular risk factors group[1]. Individuals can lower their cardiovascular disease risk by engaging in regular physical activity, avoiding tobacco use and passive smoking, choosing afruit and vegetable rich diet, avoiding food rich in fats, salt, and sugar, and maintaining a healthy body weight [1]. Health professionals should find out to what extent women are knowledgeable about the risk factors and risk reducing behaviors in CVD. This study was carried out to reveal the level of knowledge about cardiovascular disease risk factors in women who presented to a primary healthcare center in Erzurum, Turkey, and the prevalence of such risk factors.
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