COMMON

Background: Cardiovascular diseases risk factors are preventable in population. Nurses can act as crucial communicators of individuals identified with the noted risk factors. Objective: The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge and attitudes of a population in Turkey towards risks of cardiovascular disease.

Objectives: We developed a questionnaire to measure the knowledge level of adults about risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and assessed its validity and reliability.

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