Cardiovascular disease risk Reduction Behavior, Knowledge and Risk Perception of Adult hypertensive patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Adverse cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes among hypertensives are determined by several key patient factors such as knowledge, self-risk perception of CVD outcomes, and patients’ risk reduction behaviors. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death and disabilities worldwide. Uncontrolled hypertension is a major and well-established risk factor for adverse CVD outcomes resulting in high morbidity and mortality. These outcomes could largely be prevented if the patients possess good working knowledge, accurate risk- perception, and consistently engage in risk reduction behaviors. However, despite the widely prevalent behavioral risks for adverse CVD outcomes among hypertensives in Ethiopia, the patients’ risk reduction behavioral status, knowledge, and risk-perception are largely unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine CVD risk reduction behaviors and their determinants among adult hypertensives. Objective: The general objective of the study was to determine the status of CVD risk reduction behaviors and its associations with sociodemographic and clinical profiles, knowledge, and risk perception of adult hypertensives attending follow-up at a tertiary hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.