Cardiovascular risk factor knowledge and belief in prevention among adults in Chicago.

We present our findings on cardiovascular risk factor knowledge and belief in prevention from a survey administered to adult family members of children participating in a Chicago school health education program. The major risk factor most frequently recognized and understood appeared to be hypertension. Cigarette smoking and cholesterol were least frequently recognized. Few respondents could identify all three of the major risk factors, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, and cholesterol. Non-high-school graduates and the Hispanic subgroup demonstrated less knowledge and understanding. The results confirm the benefits of the extensive high blood pressure education programs of the past decade and support the need for similar interventions in nutrition and smoking prevention and cessation. Innovative approaches toward the less-educated and the Hispanic subgroups within the population also appear necessary to accelerate the encouraging decline in cardiovascular diseases seen over the past two decades.

Ingredients in nutrition education: family involvement, reading and race.

The Chicago Heart Health Curriculum Program ( CHHCP ) is a comprehensive cardiovascular disease risk-reduction program specially designed for a multiracial population of sixth-grade students and their families. It was implemented in a large urban school system with Asian, black, Hispanic and white students. Pretest, posttest and follow-up data were collected. The purposes of this study were to compare the differential involvement of the four race/ethnic groups in the family intervention and to evaluate the program's immediate and long-term impact on students' nutrition knowledge, attitude and behaviors. Results indicated it was possible to conduct a family intervention with an educationally and racially diverse urban population. The patterns of family involvement and student outcomes varied for the different groups. Reading was significantly related to nutrition knowledge and attitude but not to behavior. Reinforcement appears to be necessary for students to maintain changes over time.

Reading, demographic, social and psychological factors related to pre-adolescent smoking and non-smoking behaviors and attitudes.

The purpose of this study was to examine reading, demographic, social and psychological factors related to pre-adolescent smoking and non-smoking behaviors and attitudes. The school-home humanistic education program was implemented in a large, urban public school system. It stressed responsible decision-making, increased self-esteem and the inter-relationships among the acquisition of knowledge of the consequences of smoking, personal feelings, family relationships and behavior. The results showed that family involvement was necessary to affect smoking attitudes and behaviors. Of all the variables studied, reading had a most pervasive relationship. Peer influence and self-esteem also were related to smoking knowledge, smoking attitude, future smoking intentions and the "purchase" of cigarettes. Two of several conclusions drawn from the results are: 1. Family involvement is necessary to affect attitudes and behaviors. 2. Health education research that does not investigate the relationship between program outcomes and reading achievement may be misleading.