Knowledge and Attitudes on Smoking among Adult Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease

Abstract

Background: Smoking is a major etiological factor for Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD). According to the statistics, IHD has become the leading cause of hospital deaths in Sri Lanka.The knowledge and the attitudes of general public about smoking and its relationship to IHD are important in reducing these hospital deaths. Objectives: Evaluate the knowledge and attitudes on smoking among patients with IHD, compare them with demographic variables and identify the patterns of smoking among them. Materials & Methods: Across sectional study was carried out using adult patients with IHD attending to medical clinics in Teaching Hospital Karapitiya. Data collection was done by filling an interviewer administered questionnaire. Results: The total population was 200 which included 104 males and 96 females. Ninety percent of the total population was aware that smoking causes IHD and nearly 80% knew that risk of IHD can be reduced by quitting smoking. The mean knowledge regarding smoking and IHD was 5.9 ± 3.8 out of the total score of 14 and the median was 5.0. Nearly 93% disagreed on smoking in public places. Thirty six percent of them were smokers in somewhere of their life and 11% of them are still smoking. Conclusion: Smoking has become a major health burden to the whole world and it has a strong relationship with risk of an IHD. Overall knowledge on the relationship between smoking and IHD is moderate in this study. A change of attitudes in active smokers to be made using health education programmes.