Abstract
Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is responsible for significant mortality and morbidity among patients. Many factors are associated with the increasing prevalence of CAD in a population, including diet and lifestyle, physical inactivity, high cholesterol levels, and others.
Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess the awareness level and knowledge about CAD risk factors and its prevalence among the general population in Taif city, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This study was a community-based cross-sectional descriptive study carried out from August 2022 to September 2022 by an online questionnaire previously validated in published studies and then distributed via different social media platforms to assess participants' knowledge of risk factors for CAD. The survey included questions about socio-demographic data and risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and their prevalence.
Results: A total of 2439 participants met the inclusion criteria and finally enrolled in the current study. About 1671 (68.5%) were found to have good awareness levels, 718 (29.4%) of the participants were considered to be having fair awareness levels, and only 50 (2.1%) of the participants were with poor awareness levels.
Conclusion: Most participants have a good level of knowledge and awareness about CAD. Few knowledge gaps were regarding certain factors, including age, gender, and family history of CAD. High educational level and age were found to be linked with a higher level of knowledge regarding CAD.