<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effects of
health promotion for eight years on
cardiovascular diseases based on the changes in
knowledge (K),
attitude (A) and
behavior (B) (KAB) before and after intervention in
rural population of Fangshan,
Beijing .</p><p><b>
METHODS </b>Five townships in Fangshan District,
Beijing were divided into intervention and control
communities with
cluster sampling . Totally 772
farmers were selected randomly for interviews with a
questionnaire of KAB, including 424 in the intervention
communities (IC) and 348 in the control
communities (CC) in 1992. After
community -based
health promotion and
education on cardiovascular prevention for eight years, 895
farmers , including 431 in IC and 464 in CC, were selected randomly again in 1999 to be interviewed with the same
questionnaire of KAB used in 1992.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>From 1992 to 1999,
knowledge of
cardiovascular diseases was significantly improved in residents of IC (P < 0.01) and CC. Compared to the residents in CC, there was a net increase in
knowledge in residents of IC. Significant improvement was found in 10 and 11 of the 18 items of
knowledge in
males and
females (P < 0.01), respectively. Level of
knowledge in
cardiovascular diseases was significantly higher in the residents of IC than those of CC in 1999. Proportions of those with positive
attitudes and appropriate
behaviors were significantly elevated in the residents of IC (P < 0.01), as well as
prevalence of
smoking and
alcohol drinking decreased. However, as compared to CC,
attitude and
behavior in most aspects in the residents of IC changed positively, but in few aspects changed negatively. It suggested
knowledge improved better than
attitude and
behavior changed.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>
Community -based
health promotion and
education for a longer term had obvious effects on improvement of
knowledge in
cardiovascular disease for
rural population , but slower effects on changes in
attitude and
behavior , which suggested there still existed certain barriers to transform
knowledge into healthy
behavior .</p>