Abstract:
Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) is a major cause of death worldwide. In Sri Lanka,
cardiovascular diseases cover 40% of Non-communicable diseases. IHD was ranked as
the leading cause for the hospital deaths since year 2013 and 14.2% of total deaths in
2017. Un-healthy dietary pattern is one of the modifiable risk factors for IHD. The aim of
this study is to evaluate the knowledge on diet among IHD patients attending the
cardiology clinic at the Teaching Hospital, Jaffna. A descriptive cross-sectional study was
conducted in 2019, using an interviewer-administered questionnaire among 414 IHD
patients. Data were analysed using SPSS 25 and chi-square test was performed to find out
the relationship. The majority were male (70.3%), and mean age was 66.2. Among them,
68.4% were having dyslipidemia. Nearly two thirds (67.6%) of the participants knew that
un-healthy dietary patterns can cause IHD. The majority of them knew that margarine
(92.3%), fried foods (76.8%) and fast foods (74.2%) can increase blood cholesterol level.
However, the majority of them were not aware that Olive oil (78.5%) and Oats (59.7%)
are good to consume and white bread (56%) is bad. Majority of them were aware that
vegetables (72%), fruits (52.2%) and legumes (51.7%) were good to take in high
amounts. However, 64.3% of them did not know that cereal was also good to consume.
Only 28.3% had good knowledge on diet. Family history and highest educational level
(p<0.05) showed a significant relationship with knowledge. Conducting a nutritional
awareness programme for IHD may help to increase the level of knowledge.
