Higher level of awareness of cardiovascular risk factors
has been associated with better general health as well as
cardiac health status among patients with CADs (Moore
et al. 2007). Also, disease perception and belief related to
cause, symptoms, and treatment of CADs is affected by
disease knowledge, which provides a greater understanding
of disease for patients with CADs. Lack of disease knowledge
is a barrier to modifying risk factors and changing
lifestyle (Kayaniyil et al. 2009). In the previous study on
patients with chronic diseases including CADs and diabetes
mellitus (Moore et al. 2007, Xu et al. 2008), there were
the positive associations found between disease knowledge
and self-efficacy, and the direct effect of disease knowledge
on self-efficacy shown in the structural equation modelling.
Additionally, the higher cancer knowledge was associated
with the higher self-efficacy of cancer prevention behaviour
(Carpenter & Colwell 1995). A previous study on African
American young adults aged 18–26 years (Winham &
Johes 2011) reported that perceived low risk of CVD and
higher education were predictors of self-efficacy in changing
CVD risk. Thus, to prevent recurrence and worsening of
CADs, interventions based on awareness of risk factors and
disease knowledge are needed and recommended (Yusuf
et al. 2004, Kayaniyil et al. 2009).