CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH EDUCATION OF FAMILIES: THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL-BASED PREVENTION STRATEGIES

Kazemi, Hadi; Pourebrahim, Rasoul; Noori, Masoumeh; Fakhrzadeh, Hossein

CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH EDUCATION OF FAMILIES: THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL-BASED PREVENTION STRATEGIES

Document Type : Original Article(s)

Authors

Hadi Kazemi ¹

Rasoul Pourebrahim ²

Masoumeh Noori ³

Hossein Fakhrzadeh ⁴

¹ M.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Shaheed Mostafa Khomeini Hospital, Shahed University. Tehran.

² M.D., Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Tehran university of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Iran.

³ Ph.D., Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, TUMS, Iran.

⁴ M.D., Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Doctor Shariati Hospital, North Kargar Avenue, Tehran 14114, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Many people do not have sufficient knowledge about cardiovascular risk factors in Iran. We used a school-based educational intervention program to promote the health knowledge in all participating families. methods: A total of 1100 fifth-grade school children and their parents were invited; 603 families were included in the study. The children attended a single session and were supplied with family information packages. Pre- and post-test questionnaires were completed by these families before and after the session. results: There was a significant increase in the overall cardiovascular risk factor knowledge of families (P<0.001). The parents of boys achieved a greater level of health knowledge in comparison to the parents of girls (P<0.005). CONCLUSIONS: This school-based educational intervention was effective in improving cardiovascular risk factor knowledge of families. Similar programs with more comprehensive methodology could be more effective in promoting healthy behaviors. Keywords: Education, Cardiovascular Disease, Risk Factor, School-based Interventions.