Heart Failure Awareness Among the General Saudi Population: A Cross-Sectional Study.

ABSTRACT

Background Heart failure (HF) continues to be a globally prevalent condition with a poor prognosis, severe morbidity, and a high mortality rate. Despite the severity of HF, relatively few studies on public awareness of the condition have been published, with the majority indicating that awareness is quite low. This study aimed to determine HF knowledge in the general Saudi community and its associated predictors. Methods An online survey was used to conduct a cross-sectional study on the Saudi population. The publicity committee of the Korean Society of Heart Failure drafted the questionnaire used in the present investigation. Three questions assessed knowledge of cardiovascular (CV) and cerebrovascular disorders; four questions assessed knowledge of HF, its etiology, and severity; and three questions assessed knowledge of readmission, mortality, and lifetime risk. Results A total of 1,124 respondents completed the questionnaire. Approximately half of the respondents (50.1%, n = 563) were unaware that HF is a pathological rather than a physiological process. Only 13.8% of the respondents were aware that the lifetime risk of developing HF is 20%, with even lower rates of correct responses for the one-year readmission rate (7.4%) and post-discharge one-year mortality from acute HF (7.3%). Female gender and lower levels of education were associated with a lack of HF awareness. A multivariate analysis revealed that income and information source were substantially associated with cardiovascular disorder knowledge. Age, education, alcohol consumption, and information source were associated with awareness of the severity of HF. Conclusion The general population in Saudi Arabia (SA) exhibited a relatively low degree of knowledge of HF. We suggest increasing public awareness of HF through an educational campaign led by medical personnel and disseminated via various social media websites. Changes should be made to national healthcare policies to provide healthcare institutions with continuous promotion and iterative campaigns about healthy lifestyles and preventive activities to reduce disease-related costs and disability. HF awareness must be raised through increased concentration and education.