CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH EDUCATION OF FAMILIES: THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL-BASED PREVENTION STRATEGIES

Introduction: many people do not have sufficient knowledge about cardiovascular risk factors in iran. we used a school-based educational intervention program to promote the health knowledge in all participating families.methods: a total of 1100 fifth-grade school children and their parents were invited; 603 families were included in the study. the children attended a single session and were supplied with family information packages. pre- and post-test questionnaires were completed by these families before and after the session.results: there was a significant increase in the overall cardiovascular risk factor knowledge of families (p<0.001). the parents of boys achieved a greater level of health knowledge in comparison to the parents of girls (p<0.005).conclusions: this school-based educational intervention was effective in improving cardiovascular risk factor knowledge of families. similar programs with more comprehensive methodology could be more effective in promoting healthy behaviors.