Knowledge of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors among non-medical undergraduate students in Uzbekistan: A cross-sectional study

Knowledge of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors among non-medical undergraduate students in Uzbekistan: A cross-sectional study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Knowledge of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors among non-medical undergraduate students in Uzbekistan: A cross-sectional study Jasur Juraev, Khasanjon Odilov, Ulugbek Mirzaev, Mirzarakhim Baynazarov, and 8 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8227098/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, yet little is known about CVD knowledge and related behaviours among young adults in Central Asia. This study assessed CVD knowledge, lifestyle behaviours, and body mass index (BMI) among non-medical undergraduate students in Uzbekistan. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey among non-medical undergraduates at three public universities in Uzbekistan between September and November 2024. An anonymous online questionnaire collected socio-demographic characteristics, self-reported height and weight, tobacco and alcohol use, salt intake, physical activity, and knowledge of CVD and its risk factors. Descriptive statistics were generated, and Pearson’s chi-square (χ²) tests examined differences in CVD knowledge and BMI categories by sex and academic grade. Results Of 800 invited students, 742 completed the survey (response rate 92.8%); 68.7% were female, and 93.9% were aged ≤ 23 years. Current tobacco and alcohol use were reported by 5.8% and 2.8% of students, respectively. 42.7% reported high salt intake, and 75.6% engaged in weekly physical exercise. Overall, the majority of the students (65.8%) had normal body weight, but 10.4% were overweight and 1.3% were obese; BMI distribution differed significantly by sex and grade (both p < 0.01). half of the students (51.1%) correctly identified CVD as the leading cause of death although 94.3% had heard of heart disease, heart attack or stroke. The participants showed overall high awareness of CVD-risk factors, however awareness of high cholesterol, diabetes, and poor sleep as CVD risk factors was relatively low. Female students more often identified CVD as the leading cause of death and correctly recognised high cholesterol and smoking as risk factors, the benefits of quitting smoking, and the non-contagious nature of CVD than male peers (all p ≤ 0.05), whereas grade-related differences in knowledge were limited. Conclusions Non-medical university students in Uzbekistan have moderate CVD knowledge, but significant gaps and misconceptions persist, along with a pronounced gender contrast in both knowledge and BMI. Targeted, gender-sensitive CVD prevention initiatives in university settings are needed to support early risk reduction in this key population in Uzbekistan. cardiovascular disease knowledge risk factors university students Uzbekistan Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for around 20 million deaths in 2021, with more than three-quarters occurring in low- and middle-income countries [ 1 , 2 ]. Central Asia carries a particularly heavy burden [ 3 ]. Recent global assessments rank Central Asia among the regions with the highest age-standardised CVD mortality and prevalence [ 3 , 4 ]. Uzbekistan mirrors this regional pattern: national and regional data report large absolute numbers of CVD deaths and high age-standardised mortality compared with many other countries in the WHO European Region [ 4 – 6 ]. In 2016, the total economic burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including CVD, in Uzbekistan was estimated at UZS 9.3 trillion (approximately $ 3.15 to $ 3.17 billion USD), equivalent to 4.7% of gross domestic product [ 6 ]. These epidemiologic and economic signals underscore the need for context-specific CVD prevention strategies that begin early in life and are reinforced across education and health systems [ 7 ]. National health education and targeted training for adolescents and young adults are key strategies to reduce lifetime CVD risk [ 8 ]. Evidence from university populations consistently shows uneven awareness of CVD risk factors: knowledge tends to be higher for highly salient risks such as obesity, tobacco use and hypertension, but weaker for less visible or metabolic risk factors, including dyslipidaemia and diabetes [ 8 – 12 ]. Lower CVD knowledge has also been linked to less healthy behaviours in student and young adult populations [ 11 – 14 ]. Importantly, better awareness of risk factors, when coupled with healthy lifestyle behaviours, can reduce CVD risk and mitigate rising CVD-related healthcare costs [ 5 ]. At the same time, adolescence and emerging adulthood represent a critical window during which health behaviours and cardiometabolic trajectories are established, with long-term implications for CVD risk in later life [ 7 ]. Despite the high national burden of CVD and NCDs, publicly available data on CVD knowledge among undergraduate university students in Uzbekistan are very limited. To our knowledge, the existing literature lacks published data specifically focusing on CVD knowledge among non-medical students in Central Asia, even though this group represents a large segment of the future adult population and workforce. Strengthening health education and targeted training for adolescents and young adults is therefore a pragmatic lever to reduce lifetime risk and improve early detection and self-management of CVD [ 7 , 15 ]. University settings offer a scalable platform for health promotion and prevention among young adults. However, evidence on CVD knowledge, misconceptions, and related health behaviours among non-medical students in Central Asia remains limited. Generating baseline, policy-relevant data is therefore important to inform campus-based and national prevention strategies in Uzbekistan and comparable low- and middle-income or transition settings. This study aimed to assess CVD knowledge among non-medical university students in Uzbekistan, and to characterise their CVD related risk profile by measuring smoking status, dietary habits, physical activity and BMI, thereby informing strategies to optimise early prevention and intervention at the national level. Methods Study design and setting We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among non-medical undergraduate students enrolled in the first (freshman) and fourth (final) years of study. Eligible students were aged ≥ 18 years, enrolled full-time, and present on the survey day. The survey was administered at three major public universities in Uzbekistan: Termez State University (Surkhandarya region), Samarkand State University (Samarkand region) and the National Pedagogical University of Uzbekistan (Tashkent city, the capital), between September and November 2024. Data were collected using an anonymous, online, self-administered questionnaire. Questionnaire and measures The questionnaire comprised 25 items organised into two sections. Section 1 : Anthropometry and socio-demographic characteristics. Students self-reported their height and weight, which were used to calculate BMI as weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared (kg/m²). BMI was categorised according to World Health Organization cut-offs as underweight (< 18.5 kg/m²), normal (18.5–24.9 kg/m²), overweight (25.0–29.9 kg/m²) and obese (≥ 30.0 kg/m²) [ 16 ]. Socio-demographic variables included age, sex, marital status, current employment and self-reported current illness. Section 2 : Awareness of CVD and its risk factors. Knowledge was assessed with structured items covering major CVD risk and protective factors, including hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes, tobacco use (including all forms), unhealthy diet, excess salt intake, physical inactivity, obesity, harmful alcohol use, family history, age and sex, stress, sleep, and fruit and vegetable consumption [ 3 , 12 , 17 ]. Items used “yes/no/don’t know” response options. Additional items assessed perceptions of whether CVD is preventable, whether CVD is contagious and whether heart disease is hereditary, as well as sources of information about CVD risk factors. The questionnaire was developed in Uzbek, informed by previous studies on CVD knowledge among students and the public [ 12 , 18 , 19 ], and reviewed by public health experts to ensure clarity and face validity. A pilot test was conducted with a small group of students to refine wording. Sample size The minimum sample size was calculated using the online calculator OpenEpi, Version 3 ( www.openepi.com/SampleSize/SSPropor.htm ), to estimate a single proportion with ± 5% precision at 99% confidence, assuming p = 0.50, design effect (DEFF) = 1 and a large population size (N = 1,000,000). This yielded a required sample of 664 participants. To allow for potential non-response, the invitation target was increased to 800 students [ 20 ]. Participants and recruitment Participants were recruited using a classroom-based invitation during scheduled teaching sessions; therefore, the sample represents a multi-site convenience sample of first- and fourth-year non-medical undergraduates in the selected universities. Participation was voluntary and anonymous, with electronic informed consent obtained before questionnaire completion. Of 800 students invited, 742 completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 92.8%. The distribution of participants by university was as follows: Surkhandarya (Termez) n = 192, Samarkand n = 180, and Tashkent city n = 371. Statistical analysis Data were entered into Microsoft Excel and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 30.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Categorical variables (e.g. sex, marital status, BMI categories, lifestyle behaviours, individual CVD knowledge items) were summarised as frequencies and percentages. Age was described using mean and standard deviation (SD). CVD knowledge items were analysed as categorical responses (yes/no/don’t know). Associations between categorical variables and sex (male vs female) and academic grade (first-year vs fourth-year) were examined using Pearson’s chi-square (χ²) test. The results are reported as cross-tabulations showing frequencies (n),percentage( %), and corresponding p-values. All statistical tests were two-sided, and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Participant characteristics Among the 742 participants, 501 (67.5%) were first-year students and 241 (32.5%) were fourth-year students. Overall, 510 (68.7%) were female and 232 (31.3%) were male (Table 1 ). The majority of students were aged 18–23 years (93.9%, n = 697), while 6.1% (n = 45) were aged ≥ 24 years. Almost all 91.3% of study participants were single, the rest were married and other marital status. Only 14.6% were currently employed. Regarding health status, 9.6% had a current illness, only 11.9% reported a family history of CVD. Current tobacco use was reported by 5.8%, and alcohol use by 2.8% respectively. Overall, 42.7% indicated that they used salt “more than normal”, and 75.6% reported engaging in exercise at least once per week (Table 1 ). Participants were recruited from three universities across different regions, providing multi-site estimates of knowledge and risk behaviours among non-medical undergraduates. Table 1 Sociodemographic and health-related characteristics of undergraduate students (N = 742) Characteristic Category N Percent (%) Sex Male 232 31.3 Female 510 68.7 Age (years) Mean (SD) 19.5 (2.6) – 18–23 697 93.9 24–29 39 5.3 30–35 5 0.7 ≥ 36 1 0.1 Marital status Single 677 91.3 Married 64 8.6 Widowed 1 0.1 Currently working Yes 108 14.6 No 634 85.4 Current illness (any) Yes 71 9.6 No 671 90.4 Tobacco use* Yes 43 5.8 No 699 94.2 Alcohol use Yes 21 2.8 No 721 97.2 High salt intake** Yes 317 42.7 No 425 57.3 Family history of CVD*** Yes 88 11.9 No 466 62.8 Do not know 188 25.3 Doing exercise (weekly) Yes 561 75.6 No 181 24.4 *Tobacco use: any use of tobacco products. **High salt intake: self-reported liking for salty foods (“Do you like salty foods?” / “Do you usually use more salt than normal?”). ***CVD: cardiovascular disease. BMI distribution by sex and academic grade Based on BMI, 22.5% of students were underweight (n = 167), 65.8% (n = 488) had normal weight, 10.4% (n = 77) were overweight and 1.3% (n = 10) were obese (Table 2 ). The distribution of BMI categories differed significantly by sex (p < 0.001) and academic grade (p = 0.004). Underweight was markedly more common among females than males (28.6% vs 9.1%), whereas overweight/obesity was more frequent among males (16.0%) than females (9.8%) (p < 0.001). First-year students were more likely to be underweight than fourth-year students (25.5% vs 16.2%), while normal weight was more prevalent among fourth-year students (73.9% vs 61.9%; p = 0.004) (Table 2 ). Table 2 Distribution of body mass index (BMI) categories by sex and academic grade (N = 742) BMI category Gender Grades Male n (%) Female n (%) p-value* First-year n (%) Fourth-year n (%) p-value* Underweight 21 (9.1) 146 (28.6) < 0.001 128 (25.5) 39 (16.2) 0.004 Normal 174 (75.0) 314 (61.6) 310 (61.9) 178 (73.9) Overweight 31 (13.4) 46 (9.0) 58 (11.6) 19 (7.9) Obese 6 (2.6) 4 (0.8) 5 (1.0) 5 (2.1) *Pearson’s χ²-test for differences in BMI distribution by sex and academic grade. Knowledge and perceptions of cardiovascular disease Overall awareness of CVD and its behavioural risk factors was moderate to high, but important gaps and misconceptions were observed (Table 3 ). Just over half of students (51.1%) correctly identified CVD as the leading cause of death in Uzbekistan and worldwide. Most participants (94.3%) reported having heard of heart disease, heart attack or stroke, and 74.1% believed that CVD can be prevented. Recognition of specific risk and protective factors varied. The proportions correctly identifying each item as related to CVD were as follows: high blood pressure 69.7%, high blood cholesterol 61.5%, smoking 79.1%, benefits of quitting smoking 68.7%, regular physical activity 82.7%, diabetes 63.9%, overweight/obesity 80.2%, stress 81.0% and poor sleep 58.9%. In addition, 86.4% agreed that eating fruits and vegetables every day is beneficial for the cardiovascular system. Knowledge gaps were evident. Although 72.0% correctly reported that CVD is not contagious, 7.8% believed that it is contagious and 20.2% responded “I don’t know”. Regarding heredity, approximately half of students considered heart disease to be hereditary, whereas almost one-third were unsure. Table 3 Knowledge and perceptions regarding cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors by sex and year of study (N = 742) Questions Responses Total Gender Grades N (%) Male, n (%) Female, n (%) P-value* First-year, n (%) Fourth-year, n (%) P-value* What do you think is the leading cause of death in Uzbekistan and the world? CVD - yes 379 (51.1) 102 (44) 277 (54.3) 0.009 270 (53.9) 109 (45.2) 0.027 CVD - no 363 (48.9) 130 (56) 233 (45.7) 231 (46.1) 132 (54.8) Have you heard of diseases like heart disease, heart attack, or stroke? Yes 700 (94.3) 216 (93.1) 484 (94.9) 0.326 471 (94) 229 (95) 0.578 No 42 (5.7) 16 (6.9) 26 (5.1) 30 (6) 12 (5) Do you think cardiovascular disease can be prevented? Yes 550 (74.1) 168 (72.4) 382 (74.9) 0.338 370 (73.9) 180 (74.7) 0.799 No 30 (4) 13 (5.6) 17 (3.3) 19 (3.8) 11 (4.6) I don’t know 162 (21.8) 51 (22.0) 111 (21.8) 112 (22.4) 50 (20.7) At what age do you think a person may develop risk factors for cardiovascular disease? Childhood 33 (4.4) 8 (3.4) 25 (4.9) 0.636 25 (5) 8 (3.3) 0.61 Young age 98 (13.2) 27 (11.6) 71 (13.9) 68 (13.6) 30 (12.4) Older age 493 (66.4) 158 (68.1) 335 (65.7) 326 (65.1) 167 (69.3) I don’t know 118 (15.9) 39 (16.8) 79 (15.5) 82 (16.4) 36 (14.9) Is it possible that heart disease is hereditary? Yes 366 (49.3) 102 (44) 264 (51.8) 0.13 254 (50.7) 112 (46.5) 0.345 No 162 (21.8) 54 (23.3) 108 (21.2) 102 (20.4) 60 (24.9) I don’t know 214 (28.8) 76 (32.8) 138 (27.1) 145 (28.9) 69 (28.6) Can high blood pressure be a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease? Yes 517 (69.7) 153 (65.9) 364 (71.4) 0.319 346 (69.1) 171 (71) 0.869 No 36(4.9) 12 (5.2) 24 (4.7) 25 (5) 11 (4.6) I don’t know 189(25.5) 67 (28.9) 122 (23.9) 130 (25.9) 59 (24.5) Can high blood cholesterol levels be a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease? Yes 456 (61.5) 129 (55.6) 327 (64.1) 0.03 315 (62.9) 141 (58.5) 0.507 No 44 (5.9) 20 (8.6) 24 (4.7) 28 (5.6) 16 (6.6) I don’t know 242 (32.6) 83 (35.8) 159 (31.2) 158 (31.5) 84 (34.9) Can smoking be a risk factor for heart disease? Yes 587 (79.1) 169 (72.8) 418 (82) 0.013 397 (79.2) 190 (78.8) 0.226 No 44 (5.9) 20 (8.6) 24 (4.7) 25 (5) 19 (7.9) I don’t know 111 (15.0) 43 (18.5) 68 (13.3) 79 (15.8) 32 (13.3) Does quitting smoking reduce the risk of heart disease? Yes 510 (68.7) 137 (59.1) 373 (73.1) < 0.001 353 (70.5) 157 (65.1) 0.252 No 82 (11.1) 31 (13.4) 51 (10) 55 (11) 27 (11.2) I don’t know 150 (20.2) 64 (27.6) 86 (16.9) 93 (18.6) 57 (23.7) Does regular physical activity reduce the risk of heart disease? Yes 614 (82.7) 191 (82.3) 423 (82.9) 0.731 403 (80.4) 211 (87.6) 0.056 No 35 (4.7) 13 (5.6) 22 (4.3) 27 (5.4) 8 (3.3) I don’t know 93 (12.5) 28 (12.1) 65 (12.7) 71 (14.2) 22 (9.1) Can diabetes be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease? Yes 474 (63.9) 140 (60.3) 334 (65.5) 0.332 305 (60.9) 169 (70.1) 0.009 No 55 (7.4) 17 (7.3) 38 (7.5) 46 (9.2) 9 (3.7) I don’t know 213 (28.7) 75 (32.3) 138 (27.1) 150 (29.9) 63 (26.1) Does being overweight/obesity increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease? Yes 595 (80.2) 186 (80.2) 409 (80.2) 0.999 398 (79.4) 197 (81.7) 0.729 No 29 (3.9) 9 (3.9) 20 (3.9) 21 (4.2) 8 (3.3) I don’t know 118 (15.9) 37 (15.9) 81 (15.9) 82 (16.4) 36 (14.9) Can stress be a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease? Yes 601 (81) 178 (76.7) 423 (82.9) 0.134 403 (80.4) 198 (82.2) 0.24 No 28 (3.8) 11 (4.7) 17 (3.3) 23 (4.6) 5 (2.1) I don’t know 113 (15.2) 43 (18.5) 70 (13.7) 75 (15) 38 (15.8) Can poor sleep be a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease? Yes 437 (58.9) 138 (59.5) 299 (58.6) 0.602 281 (56.1) 156 (64.7) 0.06 No 93 (12.5) 25 (10.8) 68 (13.3) 70 (14) 23 (9.5) I don’t know 212 (28.6) 69 (29.7) 143 (28) 150 (29.9) 62 (25.7) Is cardiovascular disease contagious? Yes 58 (7.8) 24 (10.3) 34 (6.7) 0.004 36 (7.2) 22 (9.1) 0.326 No 534 (72.0) 148 (63.8) 386 (75.7) 369 (73.7) 165 (68.5) I don’t know 150 (20.2) 60 (25.9) 90 (17.6) 96 (19.2) 54 (22.4) Do you think eating fruits and vegetables every day is good for the cardiovascular system? Yes 641 (86.4) 192 (82.8) 449 (88) 0.151 427 (85.2) 214 (88.8) 0.408 No 20 (2.7) 8 (3.4) 12 (2.4) 15 (3) 5 (2.1) I don’t know 81 (10.9) 32 (13.8) 49 (9.6) 59 (11.8) 22 (9.1) Where did you get your information about cardiovascular disease risk factors? School 115 (15.5) 38 (16.5) 77 (15.1) 0.006 75 (15) 40 (16.7) < 0.001 Family/friends 173 (23.3) 35 (15.2) 138 (27.1) 121 (24.2) 52 (21.7) Medical staff 107 (14.5) 43 (18.6) 64 (12.6) 59 (11.8) 48 (20) TV/Radio 55 (7.4) 23 (10) 32 (6.3) 29 (5.8) 26 (10.8) Internet/Social media 144 (19.5) 49 (21.2) 95 (18.7) 93 (18.6) 51 (21.3) Books/journals 102 (13.8) 28 (12.1) 74 (14.5) 90 (18) 12 (5) Never heard 44 (5.9) 15 (6.5) 29 (5.7) 33 (6.6) 11 (4.6) * Pearson’s χ² test. Bold indicates p < 0.05. Gender related differences in CVD knowledge Several statistically significant sex differences were observed (Table 3 ). Female students were more likely than males to identify CVD as the leading cause of death (54.3% vs 44.0%; p = 0.009). Recognition of high blood cholesterol as a CVD risk factor was also higher among females (64.1% vs 55.6%; p = 0.030). Females more frequently acknowledged that smoking can be a risk factor for heart disease (82.0% vs 72.8%; p = 0.013) and that quitting smoking reduces the risk of heart disease (73.1% vs 59.1%; p < 0.001). In addition, females more often correctly indicated that CVD is not contagious, whereas males more frequently believed that it is contagious; the overall distribution of responses to this item differed significantly by sex (p = 0.004). The pattern of sources of information about CVD risk factors also differed significantly between males and females (p = 0.006): female students more commonly reported family/friends and books/journals as their main sources, while male students more often cited medical staff and television/radio. For the remaining knowledge items (e.g. hypertension, diabetes, overweight/obesity, stress, poor sleep, fruits and vegetables), sex differences were small and not statistically significant (all p ≥ 0.05). Grade-related differences in CVD knowledge Grade-related differences were more limited but present for selected items (Table 3 ). First-year students were more likely than fourth-year students to identify CVD as the leading cause of death (53.9% vs 45.2%; p = 0.027). In contrast, recognition of diabetes as a CVD risk factor was higher among fourth-year students (70.1% vs 60.9%; p = 0.009). The distribution of sources of information about CVD risk factors differed significantly by academic grade (p < 0.001). Fourth-year students more frequently reported medical staff, television/radio and internet/social media as their principal sources, whereas first-year students more often cited books/journals. For most other knowledge items, differences between first- and fourth-year students were modest and not statistically significant (all p ≥ 0.05). Discussion This study is one of the pioneer research to examine knowledge of CVD, awareness of its risk factors, related behaviours and BMI among non-medical undergraduate students in Uzbekistan and, to our knowledge, in Central Asia. Overall, students showed moderate-to-high awareness of several key risk factors—especially smoking, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity and stress—but there were clear gaps in understanding of metabolic risks (cholesterol and diabetes), sleep and the non-contagious nature of CVD. We also observed marked gender differences in both knowledge and BMI, but only modest differences by academic grade. These findings are important given that CVD remains the leading cause of death worldwide and is increasingly affecting younger populations in LMICs [ 21 , 22 ]. The pattern observed—high recognition of salient behavioural risks alongside weaker understanding of metabolic risks (cholesterol/diabetes), sleep, and misconceptions about CVD—has been reported in other student populations internationally. This suggests that beyond the Uzbek context, prevention programs may benefit from moving from generic “healthy lifestyle” messages to more specific health-literacy content that explains metabolic risk and sleep and explicitly corrects misconceptions (e.g., non-contagiousness). Such priorities are likely relevant for many LMIC and transition settings where CVD content is limited outside medical curricula. CVD knowledge and risk awareness Just over half of our sample correctly identified CVD as the leading cause of death, almost all had heard of heart disease, heart attack or stroke, and about three-quarters believed that CVD can be prevented. Recognition of smoking, overweight/obesity, stress and physical activity as relevant to CVD was high, whereas awareness of high cholesterol, diabetes and poor sleep was more limited. This pattern – good recognition of some “visible” or frequently discussed risk factors but weaker understanding of underlying metabolic and less overt risks—has been reported in other student populations. In an Iranian community-based study of young adults, Estebsari et al. found that CVD knowledge was moderate overall, but awareness of dyslipidaemia and diabetes as risk factors was suboptimal, particularly among non-medical participant [ 23 ] s. Güneş et al. reported that Turkish university students frequently recognised high cholesterol, stress, hypertension, smoking and obesity as important, yet overall knowledge still required improvement [ 8 ]. Similarly, a multi-country study of over 8,800 students from nine ASEAN nations documented a high prevalence of behavioural CVD risk factors and only partial risk awareness [ 9 ]. Our findings from Uzbekistan suggest that students have basic CVD knowledge, but notable gaps remain in metabolic risk factors, sleep, and the non-communicable nature of CVD. A notable proportion of our respondents believed that CVD might be contagious or were unsure, and many were uncertain whether heart disease is hereditary. These types of misconceptions have been observed in other settings and may reduce perceived personal control over CVD risk, thereby weakening motivation to adopt preventive behaviours [ 19 , 24 , 25 ]. Addressing these specific misunderstandings – rather than only emphasising generic “healthy lifestyle” messages – should therefore be a priority for future educational interventions. Gender and grade differences in CVD knowledge This gender pattern is programmatically actionable. Interventions should be gender-sensitive: for women, combine CVD literacy with healthy-weight and body-image–aware messaging (given the high prevalence of underweight), while for men emphasise realistic risk appraisal, salt reduction, diet quality, and smoking-related knowledge and support (given higher overweight/obesity and slightly weaker knowledge on selected items). This is in line with findings from Turkey, where women rated most CVD risk factors as more important than men did [ 8 ], and with evidence from other student cohorts showing that young men may underestimate their cardiovascular risk relative to women [ 10 , 26 ]. In contrast, differences in CVD knowledge between first- and fourth-year students were generally small. Fourth-year students were more likely to recognise diabetes as a CVD risk factor and reported somewhat different sources of information (greater reliance on medical staff, mass media and online platforms), but knowledge levels for most items were comparable across grades. This is consistent with evidence that, in the absence of explicit curricular content on CVD, simply progressing through university does not necessarily translate into substantially higher CVD literacy among non-medical students [ 10 , 18 , 23 ]. Incorporating concise CVD-focused content into non-medical curricula could therefore be an efficient way to improve knowledge. Differences in BMI status and the knowledge behaviour gap Although our study was not designed to quantify absolute CVD risk, behavioural indicators and BMI distribution suggest that a considerable proportion of students already have non-ideal cardiovascular health profiles [ 27 ]. More than one-fifth were underweight, about one in ten were overweight and a smaller proportion were obese. The gender contrast was pronounced: underweight was far more common among females, while overweight and obesity were more frequent among males. Students also reported a high prevalence of high salt intake, despite their high awareness of the benefits of a healthy diet for CVD prevention. Comparable patterns have been reported elsewhere. Peltzer and Pengpid found high levels of overweight and obesity, low physical activity, tobacco use and binge drinking among ASEAN university students and showed that poor risk awareness and weaker health-belief scores were associated with these behaviours [ 9 ]. In a US college cohort, Rekar et al. demonstrated that the vast majority of students did not meet ideal BMI criteria and that lower knowledge of ideal cardiovascular metrics was associated with a greater number of non-ideal behaviours [ 28 ]. Together with these findings, our results point to a clear knowledge–behaviour gap in Uzbek undergraduate student population: many students know that smoking, poor diet and inactivity increase CVD risk, yet some continue to engage in these behaviours and have non-optimal BMI. The gendered pattern of BMI in our sample also mirrors international evidence: in the ASEAN study, overweight and obesity were more common among male students, whereas females often had lower BMI [ 9 ]. Our data suggest a similar double burden among Uzbek students: possible restrictive eating or body image-related underweight among women, and higher levels of overweight/obesity among men who also showed slightly weaker CVD knowledge. This combination reinforces the need for gender-sensitive interventions that address both ends of the malnutrition spectrum. Implications for prevention and policy From a prevention perspective, university students are a strategic target group: behaviours established in late adolescence and early adulthood have long-term implications for CVD risk [ 7 , 21 , 27 ]. Our findings suggest several priorities for Uzbekistan. First, integrating concise, evidence-based CVD education into non-medical curricula could help improve understanding of metabolic risk factors, sleep and the non-contagious but partly hereditary nature of CVD. Second, interventions should be explicitly gender-sensitive, addressing healthy weight and body image among women and emphasising diet quality, salt reduction, smoking cessation and realistic risk appraisal among men. Third, educational activities need to be complemented by environmental and policy changes such as healthier options in university canteens, salt reduction initiatives and smoke-free campus policies to support translation of knowledge into healthier behaviours. Combining education with environmental supports may help narrow the knowledge-behaviour gap. These actions would align with broader national and international efforts to prevent NCDs and reduce premature CVD mortality, including WHO recommendations on NCD risk factor surveillance and comprehensive CVD prevention in young people [ 16 , 27 , 29 ]. Strengths and limitations Key strengths of this study include a relatively large sample size, the focus on non-medical students (a group often neglected in CVD education), and the simultaneous assessment of knowledge, behaviours and BMI, allowing exploration of potential knowledge – behaviour discrepancies. The study also contributes new insights from Central Asia, a region underrepresented in the literature on CVD knowledge among young adults. Several limitations should be acknowledged in our study. The cross-sectional design precludes causal inference between knowledge, behaviours and BMI. All behavioural and anthropometric data were self-reported and may be subject to recall and social desirability bias, including possible misclassification of BMI categories. The sample was drawn from selected universities and faculties in three regions and may not be fully representative of all students or non-student young adults in Uzbekistan. Finally, although our questionnaire was informed by previous studies, we did not employ a single fully validated CVD knowledge scale, which limits direct comparison of overall knowledge across settings. Conclusion Non-medical university students in Uzbekistan demonstrated high awareness of several major CVD risk factors, but important knowledge gaps and misconceptions remain, particularly regarding metabolic risk factors, sleep and the nature of CVD. A pronounced gender contrast was observed, with better knowledge but more underweight among females and higher overweight/obesity with somewhat poorer knowledge among males. These findings highlight the need for early, gender-sensitive, behaviour-focused CVD prevention strategies in university settings, aligned with broader national efforts to reduce the future burden of NCDs in Uzbekistan and the wider Central Asian region. Abbreviations BMI body mass index CI confidence interval CVD cardiovascular disease DEFF design effect GDP gross domestic product LMICs low- and middle-income countries NCDs non-communicable diseases SD standard deviation SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences WHO World Health Organization χ² chi-square. Declarations Consent for publication Not applicable Ethics approval and consent to participate The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Protocol No. 5/24-1905; 21 June 2024). Administrative permission was obtained from each participating university. Study procedures conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant national regulations. Competing interests The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Funding No financial support was received for this study. Author Contribution Conceptualization: JJ, OK. Methodology: JJ, OK, MU. Data collection: OK, BM, DK, RS, TS, MM, TA, RA. Data curation: JJ, OKK. Formal analysis: JJ and TT. Writing—original draft: JJ. Writing, review and editing: JJ, OK, MU, BM, TT, RA, TS, MM, TA, BM, DK, RS. Supervision: JJ, RS. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgements The authors thank the students who participated in the survey and the university staff who facilitated data collection. We also acknowledge colleagues who provided feedback on the questionnaire design. Data Availability The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to ethical and privacy restrictions but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. References Lindstrom M, DeCleene N, Dorsey H, Fuster V, Johnson CO, LeGrand KE, et al. Summary of Global Burden of Disease Study Methods. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2022;80(25):2372–425. Di Cesare M, McGhie DV, Perel P, Mwangi J, Taylor S, Pervan B et al. The Heart of the World. Glob Heart. 2024;19(1). Aringazina A, Kuandikov T, Arkhipov V. Burden of the Cardiovascular Diseases in Central Asia. Cent Asian J Glob Health. 2018;7(1). Pörschmann T, Meier T, Lorkowski S. 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Güneş FE, Bekiroglu N, Imeryuz N, Agirbasli M. Awareness of cardiovascular risk factors among university students in Turkey. Prim Health Care Res Dev. 2019;20:e127. Peltzer K, Pengpid S. Prevalence, risk awareness and health beliefs of behavioural risk factors for cardiovascular disease among university students in nine ASEAN countries. BMC Public Health. 2018;18(1). Reiner Ž, Sonicki Z, Tedeschi-Reiner E. The perception and knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors among medical students. Croat Med J. 2012;53(3):278–84. Chen Q, Dai JN, Chen XD, Qin T, Lai WY, Wang Y. Awareness of hazards due to tobacco among people aged 15 years and older in Chongqing, China, in 2020: A cross-sectional analysis. Tob Induc Dis. 2022;20(December). Maksimović M, Marinković JM, Vlajinac HD, Maksimović JM, Tomanić MS, Radak DJ. Awareness and knowledge of cardiovascular disease risk factors among medical students. Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2017;129(13–14):458–63. Mukhopadhay S, Mukherjee A, Khanra D, Samanta B, Karak A, Guha S. Cardiovascular disease risk factors among undergraduate medical students in a tertiary care centre of eastern India: a pilot study. Egypt Heart J. 2021;73(1). Awad A, Al-Nafisi H. Public knowledge of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors in Kuwait: A cross-sectional survey. BMC Public Health. Volume 14. BioMed Central Ltd.; 2014. Estebsari F, Barati M, Stiri S, Latifi M, Shahsavari A, Milani AS et al. Risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in young adults: a community-based study of Iranian context. BMC Public Health. 2024;24(1). Riley L, Guthold R, Cowan M, Savin S, Bhatti L, Armstrong T, et al. The world health organization STEPwise approach to noncommunicable disease risk-factor surveillance: Methods, challenges, and opportunities. Am J Public Health. 2016;106(1):74–8. Aceijas C, Waldhäusl S, Lambert N, Cassar S, Bello-Corassa R. Determinants of health-related lifestyles among university students. Perspectives in Public Health. Volume 137. SAGE Publications Ltd; 2017. pp. 227–36. Kałka D, Domagała Z, Rusiecki L, Gworys B, Kolȩda P, Dąbrowski P, et al. Cardiovascular risk factors among lower silesian students of the faculty of medicine: Knowledge and distribution. Adv Clin Experimental Med. 2016;25(2):341–7. Kazim MN, AbouMoussa TH, AL-Hammadi FA, Ali A, Al, Abedini FM, Ahmad FSM et al. Population awareness of cardiovascular disease risk factors and health care seeking behavior in the UAE. Am J Prev Cardiol. 2021;8. Althubaiti A. Sample size determination: A practical guide for health researchers. Vol. 24, Journal of General and Family Medicine. John Wiley and Sons Inc; 2023. pp. 72–8. Sun J, Qiao Y, Zhao M, Magnussen CG, Xi B. Global, regional, and national burden of cardiovascular diseases in youths and young adults aged 15–39 years in 204 countries/territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis of Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. BMC Med. 2023;21(1). Ojo AE, Ojji DB, Grobbee DE, Huffman MD, Peters SAE. The Burden of Cardiovascular Disease Attributable to Hypertension in Nigeria: A Modelling Study Using Summary-Level Data. Glob Heart. 2024;19(1). Estebsari F, Barati M, Stiri S, Latifi M, Shahsavari A, Milani AS et al. Risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in young adults: a community-based study of Iranian context. BMC Public Health. 2024;24(1). Bhaskar RK, Sah MN, Gaurav K, Bhaskar SC, Singh R, Yadav MK et al. Prevalence and correlates of tobacco use among adolescents in the schools of Kalaiya, Nepal: A cross-sectional questionnaire based study. Tob Induc Dis. 2016;14(1). Duarte-Clíments G, Mauricio TF, Gómez-Salgado J, Moreira RP, Romero-Martín M, Sánchez-Gómez MB. Assessment of cardiovascular risk factors in young adults through the nursing diagnosis: A cross-sectional study among international university students. Healthc (Switzerland). 2021;9(1). Aydin V, Vizdiklar C, Akici A, Akman M, Gogas Yavuz D, Altikardes ZA, et al. Evaluation of health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of undergraduate students by cardiovascular risk factors. Primary Health Care Research and Development. Cambridge University Press; 2021. Daniels SR, Pratt CA, Hayman LL. Reduction of risk for cardiovascular disease in children and adolescents. Circulation. 2011;124(15):1673–86. Rekar SL, Dean CA, Radhakrishnan S, Zhang D. Assessing the Cardiovascular Health Status and Knowledge Level of College Students. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2022;16(4):527–37. Aryal KK, Mehata S, Neupane S, Vaidya A, Dhimal M, Dhakal P et al. The burden and determinants of non communicable diseases risk factors in Nepal: Findings from a nationwide STEPS survey. PLoS ONE. 2015;10(8). Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. 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Central Asia carries a particularly heavy burden [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. Recent global assessments rank Central Asia among the regions with the highest age-standardised CVD mortality and prevalence [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. Uzbekistan mirrors this regional pattern: national and regional data report large absolute numbers of CVD deaths and high age-standardised mortality compared with many other countries in the WHO European Region [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR5\" citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. In 2016, the total economic burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including CVD, in Uzbekistan was estimated at UZS 9.3 trillion (approximately \u003cspan\u003e$\u003c/span\u003e3.15 to \u003cspan\u003e$\u003c/span\u003e3.17\u0026nbsp;billion USD), equivalent to 4.7% of gross domestic product [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese epidemiologic and economic signals underscore the need for context-specific CVD prevention strategies that begin early in life and are reinforced across education and health systems [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. National health education and targeted training for adolescents and young adults are key strategies to reduce lifetime CVD risk [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. Evidence from university populations consistently shows uneven awareness of CVD risk factors: knowledge tends to be higher for highly salient risks such as obesity, tobacco use and hypertension, but weaker for less visible or metabolic risk factors, including dyslipidaemia and diabetes [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR9 CR10 CR11\" citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. Lower CVD knowledge has also been linked to less healthy behaviours in student and young adult populations [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR12 CR13\" citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eImportantly, better awareness of risk factors, when coupled with healthy lifestyle behaviours, can reduce CVD risk and mitigate rising CVD-related healthcare costs [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. At the same time, adolescence and emerging adulthood represent a critical window during which health behaviours and cardiometabolic trajectories are established, with long-term implications for CVD risk in later life [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. Despite the high national burden of CVD and NCDs, publicly available data on CVD knowledge among undergraduate university students in Uzbekistan are very limited. To our knowledge, the existing literature lacks published data specifically focusing on CVD knowledge among non-medical students in Central Asia, even though this group represents a large segment of the future adult population and workforce. Strengthening health education and targeted training for adolescents and young adults is therefore a pragmatic lever to reduce lifetime risk and improve early detection and self-management of CVD [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e]. University settings offer a scalable platform for health promotion and prevention among young adults. However, evidence on CVD knowledge, misconceptions, and related health behaviours among non-medical students in Central Asia remains limited. Generating baseline, policy-relevant data is therefore important to inform campus-based and national prevention strategies in Uzbekistan and comparable low- and middle-income or transition settings.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study aimed to assess CVD knowledge among non-medical university students in Uzbekistan, and to characterise their CVD related risk profile by measuring smoking status, dietary habits, physical activity and BMI, thereby informing strategies to optimise early prevention and intervention at the national level.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eStudy design and setting\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among non-medical undergraduate students enrolled in the first (freshman) and fourth (final) years of study. Eligible students were aged\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;18 years, enrolled full-time, and present on the survey day. The survey was administered at three major public universities in Uzbekistan: Termez State University (Surkhandarya region), Samarkand State University (Samarkand region) and the National Pedagogical University of Uzbekistan (Tashkent city, the capital), between September and November 2024. Data were collected using an anonymous, online, self-administered questionnaire.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestionnaire and measures\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe questionnaire comprised 25 items organised into two sections. \u003cem\u003eSection 1\u003c/em\u003e: Anthropometry and socio-demographic characteristics. Students self-reported their height and weight, which were used to calculate BMI as weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared (kg/m\u0026sup2;). BMI was categorised according to World Health Organization cut-offs as underweight (\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;18.5 kg/m\u0026sup2;), normal (18.5\u0026ndash;24.9 kg/m\u0026sup2;), overweight (25.0\u0026ndash;29.9 kg/m\u0026sup2;) and obese (\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;30.0 kg/m\u0026sup2;) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. Socio-demographic variables included age, sex, marital status, current employment and self-reported current illness. \u003cem\u003eSection 2\u003c/em\u003e: Awareness of CVD and its risk factors. Knowledge was assessed with structured items covering major CVD risk and protective factors, including hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes, tobacco use (including all forms), unhealthy diet, excess salt intake, physical inactivity, obesity, harmful alcohol use, family history, age and sex, stress, sleep, and fruit and vegetable consumption [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. Items used \u0026ldquo;yes/no/don\u0026rsquo;t know\u0026rdquo; response options. Additional items assessed perceptions of whether CVD is preventable, whether CVD is contagious and whether heart disease is hereditary, as well as sources of information about CVD risk factors. The questionnaire was developed in Uzbek, informed by previous studies on CVD knowledge among students and the public [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e], and reviewed by public health experts to ensure clarity and face validity. A pilot test was conducted with a small group of students to refine wording.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSample size\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe minimum sample size was calculated using the online calculator OpenEpi, Version 3 (\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ewww.openepi.com/SampleSize/SSPropor.htm\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"http://www.openepi.com/SampleSize/SSPropor.htm\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e), to estimate a single proportion with \u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5% precision at 99% confidence, assuming p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.50, design effect (DEFF)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1 and a large population size (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1,000,000). This yielded a required sample of 664 participants. To allow for potential non-response, the invitation target was increased to 800 students [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eParticipants and recruitment\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParticipants were recruited using a classroom-based invitation during scheduled teaching sessions; therefore, the sample represents a multi-site convenience sample of first- and fourth-year non-medical undergraduates in the selected universities. Participation was voluntary and anonymous, with electronic informed consent obtained before questionnaire completion. Of 800 students invited, 742 completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 92.8%. The distribution of participants by university was as follows: Surkhandarya (Termez) n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;192, Samarkand n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;180, and Tashkent city n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;371.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eStatistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eData were entered into Microsoft Excel and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 30.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Categorical variables (e.g. sex, marital status, BMI categories, lifestyle behaviours, individual CVD knowledge items) were summarised as frequencies and percentages. Age was described using mean and standard deviation (SD). CVD knowledge items were analysed as categorical responses (yes/no/don\u0026rsquo;t know). Associations between categorical variables and sex (male vs female) and academic grade (first-year vs fourth-year) were examined using Pearson\u0026rsquo;s chi-square (χ\u0026sup2;) test. The results are reported as cross-tabulations showing frequencies (n),percentage( %), and corresponding p-values. All statistical tests were two-sided, and a p-value\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05 was considered statistically significant.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eParticipant characteristics\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmong the 742 participants, 501 (67.5%) were first-year students and 241 (32.5%) were fourth-year students. Overall, 510 (68.7%) were female and 232 (31.3%) were male (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The majority of students were aged 18\u0026ndash;23 years (93.9%, n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;697), while 6.1% (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;45) were aged\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;24 years. Almost all 91.3% of study participants were single, the rest were married and other marital status. Only 14.6% were currently employed. Regarding health status, 9.6% had a current illness, only 11.9% reported a family history of CVD. Current tobacco use was reported by 5.8%, and alcohol use by 2.8% respectively. Overall, 42.7% indicated that they used salt \u0026ldquo;more than normal\u0026rdquo;, and 75.6% reported engaging in exercise at least once per week (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). Participants were recruited from three universities across different regions, providing multi-site estimates of knowledge and risk behaviours among non-medical undergraduates.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSociodemographic and health-related characteristics of undergraduate students (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;742)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCharacteristic\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCategory\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePercent (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e232\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e31.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e510\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAge (years)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMean (SD)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.5 (2.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18\u0026ndash;23\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e697\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e93.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24\u0026ndash;29\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30\u0026ndash;35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;36\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarital status\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e677\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e91.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWidowed\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCurrently working\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e108\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e634\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e85.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCurrent illness (any)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e71\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e671\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e90.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTobacco use*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e699\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e94.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlcohol use\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e721\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e97.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh salt intake**\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e317\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e42.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e425\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e57.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFamily history of CVD***\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e88\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e466\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e62.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDo not know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e188\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDoing exercise (weekly)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e561\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e75.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e181\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e*Tobacco use: any use of tobacco products.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e**High salt intake: self-reported liking for salty foods (\u0026ldquo;Do you like salty foods?\u0026rdquo; / \u0026ldquo;Do you usually use more salt than normal?\u0026rdquo;).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e***CVD: cardiovascular disease.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBMI distribution by sex and academic grade\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBased on BMI, 22.5% of students were underweight (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;167), 65.8% (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;488) had normal weight, 10.4% (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;77) were overweight and 1.3% (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;10) were obese (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). The distribution of BMI categories differed significantly by sex (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) and academic grade (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.004). Underweight was markedly more common among females than males (28.6% vs 9.1%), whereas overweight/obesity was more frequent among males (16.0%) than females (9.8%) (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). First-year students were more likely to be underweight than fourth-year students (25.5% vs 16.2%), while normal weight was more prevalent among fourth-year students (73.9% vs 61.9%; p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.004) (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDistribution of body mass index (BMI) categories by sex and academic grade (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;742)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBMI category\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrades\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003en (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003en (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ep-value*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst-year\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003en (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFourth-year n (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ep-value*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnderweight\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21 (9.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e146 (28.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e128 (25.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e39 (16.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.004\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNormal\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e174 (75.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e314 (61.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e310 (61.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e178 (73.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOverweight\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e31 (13.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e46 (9.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e58 (11.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19 (7.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eObese\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6 (2.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4 (0.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5 (1.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5 (2.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e*Pearson\u0026rsquo;s χ\u0026sup2;-test for differences in BMI distribution by sex and academic grade.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eKnowledge and perceptions of cardiovascular disease\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eOverall awareness of CVD and its behavioural risk factors was moderate to high, but important gaps and misconceptions were observed (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). Just over half of students (51.1%) correctly identified CVD as the leading cause of death in Uzbekistan and worldwide. Most participants (94.3%) reported having heard of heart disease, heart attack or stroke, and 74.1% believed that CVD can be prevented. Recognition of specific risk and protective factors varied. The proportions correctly identifying each item as related to CVD were as follows: high blood pressure 69.7%, high blood cholesterol 61.5%, smoking 79.1%, benefits of quitting smoking 68.7%, regular physical activity 82.7%, diabetes 63.9%, overweight/obesity 80.2%, stress 81.0% and poor sleep 58.9%. In addition, 86.4% agreed that eating fruits and vegetables every day is beneficial for the cardiovascular system. Knowledge gaps were evident. Although 72.0% correctly reported that CVD is not contagious, 7.8% believed that it is contagious and 20.2% responded \u0026ldquo;I don\u0026rsquo;t know\u0026rdquo;. Regarding heredity, approximately half of students considered heart disease to be hereditary, whereas almost one-third were unsure.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eKnowledge and perceptions regarding cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors by sex and year of study (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;742)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"9\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eQuestions\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eResponses\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrades\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale, n (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale, n (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eP-value*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst-year, n (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFourth-year, n (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eP-value*\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat do you think is the leading cause of death in Uzbekistan and the world?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCVD - yes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e379 (51.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e102 (44)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e277 (54.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.009\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e270 (53.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e109 (45.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.027\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCVD - no\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e363 (48.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e130 (56)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e233 (45.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e231 (46.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e132 (54.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHave you heard of diseases like heart disease, heart attack, or stroke?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e700 (94.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e216 (93.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e484 (94.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.326\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e471 (94)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e229 (95)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.578\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e42 (5.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16 (6.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26 (5.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30 (6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12 (5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDo you think cardiovascular disease can be prevented?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e550 (74.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e168 (72.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e382 (74.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.338\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e370 (73.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e180 (74.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.799\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30 (4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13 (5.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e17 (3.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19 (3.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11 (4.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e162 (21.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e51 (22.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e111 (21.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e112 (22.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e50 (20.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt what age do you think a person may develop risk factors for cardiovascular disease?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eChildhood\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33 (4.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8 (3.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25 (4.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.636\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25 (5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8 (3.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.61\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYoung age\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e98 (13.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27 (11.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e71 (13.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68 (13.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30 (12.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOlder age\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e493 (66.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e158 (68.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e335 (65.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e326 (65.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e167 (69.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e118 (15.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e39 (16.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e79 (15.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e82 (16.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36 (14.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIs it possible that heart disease is hereditary?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e366 (49.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e102 (44)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e264 (51.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e254 (50.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e112 (46.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.345\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e162 (21.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e54 (23.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e108 (21.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e102 (20.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e60 (24.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e214 (28.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e76 (32.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e138 (27.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e145 (28.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e69 (28.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCan high blood pressure be a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e517 (69.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e153 (65.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e364 (71.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.319\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e346 (69.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e171 (71)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.869\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36(4.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12 (5.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24 (4.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25 (5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11 (4.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e189(25.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e67 (28.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e122 (23.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e130 (25.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e59 (24.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCan high blood cholesterol levels be a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e456 (61.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e129 (55.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e327 (64.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.03\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e315 (62.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e141 (58.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.507\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e44 (5.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20 (8.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24 (4.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28 (5.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16 (6.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e242 (32.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e83 (35.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e159 (31.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e158 (31.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e84 (34.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCan smoking be a risk factor for heart disease?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e587 (79.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e169 (72.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e418 (82)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.013\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e397 (79.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e190 (78.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.226\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e44 (5.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20 (8.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24 (4.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25 (5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19 (7.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e111 (15.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e43 (18.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68 (13.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e79 (15.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32 (13.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDoes quitting smoking reduce the risk of heart disease?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e510 (68.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e137 (59.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e373 (73.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e353 (70.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e157 (65.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.252\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e82 (11.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e31 (13.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e51 (10)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e55 (11)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27 (11.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e150 (20.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e64 (27.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e86 (16.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e93 (18.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e57 (23.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDoes regular physical activity reduce the risk of heart disease?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e614 (82.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e191 (82.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e423 (82.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.731\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e403 (80.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e211 (87.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.056\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e35 (4.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13 (5.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22 (4.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27 (5.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8 (3.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e93 (12.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28 (12.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e65 (12.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e71 (14.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22 (9.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCan diabetes be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e474 (63.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e140 (60.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e334 (65.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.332\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e305 (60.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e169 (70.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.009\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e55 (7.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e17 (7.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38 (7.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e46 (9.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9 (3.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e213 (28.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e75 (32.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e138 (27.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e150 (29.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63 (26.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDoes being overweight/obesity increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e595 (80.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e186 (80.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e409 (80.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.999\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e398 (79.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e197 (81.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.729\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e29 (3.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9 (3.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20 (3.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21 (4.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8 (3.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e118 (15.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e37 (15.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e81 (15.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e82 (16.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36 (14.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCan stress be a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e601 (81)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e178 (76.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e423 (82.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.134\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e403 (80.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e198 (82.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.24\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28 (3.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11 (4.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e17 (3.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23 (4.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5 (2.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e113 (15.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e43 (18.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e70 (13.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e75 (15)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38 (15.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCan poor sleep be a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e437 (58.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e138 (59.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e299 (58.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.602\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e281 (56.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e156 (64.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e93 (12.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25 (10.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68 (13.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e70 (14)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23 (9.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e212 (28.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e69 (29.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e143 (28)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e150 (29.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e62 (25.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIs cardiovascular disease contagious?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e58 (7.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24 (10.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34 (6.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.004\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36 (7.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22 (9.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.326\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e534 (72.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e148 (63.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e386 (75.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e369 (73.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e165 (68.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e150 (20.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e60 (25.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e90 (17.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e96 (19.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e54 (22.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDo you think eating fruits and vegetables every day is good for the cardiovascular system?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e641 (86.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e192 (82.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e449 (88)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.151\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e427 (85.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e214 (88.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.408\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20 (2.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8 (3.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12 (2.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15 (3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5 (2.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e81 (10.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32 (13.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e49 (9.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e59 (11.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22 (9.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"6\" rowspan=\"7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere did you get your information about cardiovascular disease risk factors?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSchool\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e115 (15.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38 (16.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e77 (15.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"6\" rowspan=\"7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.006\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e75 (15)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e40 (16.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\" morerows=\"6\" rowspan=\"7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFamily/friends\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e173 (23.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e35 (15.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e138 (27.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e121 (24.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e52 (21.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMedical staff\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e107 (14.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e43 (18.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e64 (12.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e59 (11.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e48 (20)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTV/Radio\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e55 (7.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23 (10)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32 (6.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e29 (5.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26 (10.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eInternet/Social media\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e144 (19.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e49 (21.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e95 (18.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e93 (18.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e51 (21.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBooks/journals\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e102 (13.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28 (12.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e74 (14.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e90 (18)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12 (5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNever heard\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e44 (5.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15 (6.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e29 (5.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33 (6.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11 (4.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e* Pearson\u0026rsquo;s χ\u0026sup2; test. Bold indicates p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eGender related differences in CVD knowledge\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeveral statistically significant sex differences were observed (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). Female students were more likely than males to identify CVD as the leading cause of death (54.3% vs 44.0%; p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.009). Recognition of high blood cholesterol as a CVD risk factor was also higher among females (64.1% vs 55.6%; p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.030). Females more frequently acknowledged that smoking can be a risk factor for heart disease (82.0% vs 72.8%; p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.013) and that quitting smoking reduces the risk of heart disease (73.1% vs 59.1%; p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). In addition, females more often correctly indicated that CVD is not contagious, whereas males more frequently believed that it is contagious; the overall distribution of responses to this item differed significantly by sex (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.004). The pattern of sources of information about CVD risk factors also differed significantly between males and females (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.006): female students more commonly reported family/friends and books/journals as their main sources, while male students more often cited medical staff and television/radio. For the remaining knowledge items (e.g. hypertension, diabetes, overweight/obesity, stress, poor sleep, fruits and vegetables), sex differences were small and not statistically significant (all p\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;0.05).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eGrade-related differences in CVD knowledge\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrade-related differences were more limited but present for selected items (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). First-year students were more likely than fourth-year students to identify CVD as the leading cause of death (53.9% vs 45.2%; p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.027). In contrast, recognition of diabetes as a CVD risk factor was higher among fourth-year students (70.1% vs 60.9%; p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.009).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe distribution of sources of information about CVD risk factors differed significantly by academic grade (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). Fourth-year students more frequently reported medical staff, television/radio and internet/social media as their principal sources, whereas first-year students more often cited books/journals. For most other knowledge items, differences between first- and fourth-year students were modest and not statistically significant (all p\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;0.05).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study is one of the pioneer research to examine knowledge of CVD, awareness of its risk factors, related behaviours and BMI among non-medical undergraduate students in Uzbekistan and, to our knowledge, in Central Asia. Overall, students showed moderate-to-high awareness of several key risk factors\u0026mdash;especially smoking, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity and stress\u0026mdash;but there were clear gaps in understanding of metabolic risks (cholesterol and diabetes), sleep and the non-contagious nature of CVD. We also observed marked gender differences in both knowledge and BMI, but only modest differences by academic grade. These findings are important given that CVD remains the leading cause of death worldwide and is increasingly affecting younger populations in LMICs [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. The pattern observed\u0026mdash;high recognition of salient behavioural risks alongside weaker understanding of metabolic risks (cholesterol/diabetes), sleep, and misconceptions about CVD\u0026mdash;has been reported in other student populations internationally. This suggests that beyond the Uzbek context, prevention programs may benefit from moving from generic \u0026ldquo;healthy lifestyle\u0026rdquo; messages to more specific health-literacy content that explains metabolic risk and sleep and explicitly corrects misconceptions (e.g., non-contagiousness). Such priorities are likely relevant for many LMIC and transition settings where CVD content is limited outside medical curricula.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCVD knowledge and risk awareness\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eJust over half of our sample correctly identified CVD as the leading cause of death, almost all had heard of heart disease, heart attack or stroke, and about three-quarters believed that CVD can be prevented. Recognition of smoking, overweight/obesity, stress and physical activity as relevant to CVD was high, whereas awareness of high cholesterol, diabetes and poor sleep was more limited.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis pattern \u0026ndash; good recognition of some \u0026ldquo;visible\u0026rdquo; or frequently discussed risk factors but weaker understanding of underlying metabolic and less overt risks\u0026mdash;has been reported in other student populations. In an Iranian community-based study of young adults, Estebsari et al. found that CVD knowledge was moderate overall, but awareness of dyslipidaemia and diabetes as risk factors was suboptimal, particularly among non-medical participant [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e] s. G\u0026uuml;neş et al. reported that Turkish university students frequently recognised high cholesterol, stress, hypertension, smoking and obesity as important, yet overall knowledge still required improvement [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. Similarly, a multi-country study of over 8,800 students from nine ASEAN nations documented a high prevalence of behavioural CVD risk factors and only partial risk awareness [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur findings from Uzbekistan suggest that students have basic CVD knowledge, but notable gaps remain in metabolic risk factors, sleep, and the non-communicable nature of CVD. A notable proportion of our respondents believed that CVD might be contagious or were unsure, and many were uncertain whether heart disease is hereditary. These types of misconceptions have been observed in other settings and may reduce perceived personal control over CVD risk, thereby weakening motivation to adopt preventive behaviours [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e]. Addressing these specific misunderstandings \u0026ndash; rather than only emphasising generic \u0026ldquo;healthy lifestyle\u0026rdquo; messages \u0026ndash; should therefore be a priority for future educational interventions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eGender and grade differences in CVD knowledge\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis gender pattern is programmatically actionable. Interventions should be gender-sensitive: for women, combine CVD literacy with healthy-weight and body-image\u0026ndash;aware messaging (given the high prevalence of underweight), while for men emphasise realistic risk appraisal, salt reduction, diet quality, and smoking-related knowledge and support (given higher overweight/obesity and slightly weaker knowledge on selected items). This is in line with findings from Turkey, where women rated most CVD risk factors as more important than men did [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e], and with evidence from other student cohorts showing that young men may underestimate their cardiovascular risk relative to women [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn contrast, differences in CVD knowledge between first- and fourth-year students were generally small. Fourth-year students were more likely to recognise diabetes as a CVD risk factor and reported somewhat different sources of information (greater reliance on medical staff, mass media and online platforms), but knowledge levels for most items were comparable across grades. This is consistent with evidence that, in the absence of explicit curricular content on CVD, simply progressing through university does not necessarily translate into substantially higher CVD literacy among non-medical students [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e]. Incorporating concise CVD-focused content into non-medical curricula could therefore be an efficient way to improve knowledge.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eDifferences in BMI status and the knowledge behaviour gap\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough our study was not designed to quantify absolute CVD risk, behavioural indicators and BMI distribution suggest that a considerable proportion of students already have non-ideal cardiovascular health profiles [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e]. More than one-fifth were underweight, about one in ten were overweight and a smaller proportion were obese. The gender contrast was pronounced: underweight was far more common among females, while overweight and obesity were more frequent among males. Students also reported a high prevalence of high salt intake, despite their high awareness of the benefits of a healthy diet for CVD prevention. Comparable patterns have been reported elsewhere. Peltzer and Pengpid found high levels of overweight and obesity, low physical activity, tobacco use and binge drinking among ASEAN university students and showed that poor risk awareness and weaker health-belief scores were associated with these behaviours [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. In a US college cohort, Rekar et al. demonstrated that the vast majority of students did not meet ideal BMI criteria and that lower knowledge of ideal cardiovascular metrics was associated with a greater number of non-ideal behaviours [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTogether with these findings, our results point to a clear knowledge\u0026ndash;behaviour gap in Uzbek undergraduate student population: many students know that smoking, poor diet and inactivity increase CVD risk, yet some continue to engage in these behaviours and have non-optimal BMI. The gendered pattern of BMI in our sample also mirrors international evidence: in the ASEAN study, overweight and obesity were more common among male students, whereas females often had lower BMI [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. Our data suggest a similar double burden among Uzbek students: possible restrictive eating or body image-related underweight among women, and higher levels of overweight/obesity among men who also showed slightly weaker CVD knowledge. This combination reinforces the need for gender-sensitive interventions that address both ends of the malnutrition spectrum.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eImplications for prevention and policy\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom a prevention perspective, university students are a strategic target group: behaviours established in late adolescence and early adulthood have long-term implications for CVD risk [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e]. Our findings suggest several priorities for Uzbekistan.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst, integrating concise, evidence-based CVD education into non-medical curricula could help improve understanding of metabolic risk factors, sleep and the non-contagious but partly hereditary nature of CVD. Second, interventions should be explicitly gender-sensitive, addressing healthy weight and body image among women and emphasising diet quality, salt reduction, smoking cessation and realistic risk appraisal among men. Third, educational activities need to be complemented by environmental and policy changes such as healthier options in university canteens, salt reduction initiatives and smoke-free campus policies to support translation of knowledge into healthier behaviours. Combining education with environmental supports may help narrow the knowledge-behaviour gap. These actions would align with broader national and international efforts to prevent NCDs and reduce premature CVD mortality, including WHO recommendations on NCD risk factor surveillance and comprehensive CVD prevention in young people [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eStrengths and limitations\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eKey strengths of this study include a relatively large sample size, the focus on non-medical students (a group often neglected in CVD education), and the simultaneous assessment of knowledge, behaviours and BMI, allowing exploration of potential knowledge \u0026ndash; behaviour discrepancies. The study also contributes new insights from Central Asia, a region underrepresented in the literature on CVD knowledge among young adults.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeveral limitations should be acknowledged in our study. The cross-sectional design precludes causal inference between knowledge, behaviours and BMI. All behavioural and anthropometric data were self-reported and may be subject to recall and social desirability bias, including possible misclassification of BMI categories. The sample was drawn from selected universities and faculties in three regions and may not be fully representative of all students or non-student young adults in Uzbekistan. Finally, although our questionnaire was informed by previous studies, we did not employ a single fully validated CVD knowledge scale, which limits direct comparison of overall knowledge across settings.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eNon-medical university students in Uzbekistan demonstrated high awareness of several major CVD risk factors, but important knowledge gaps and misconceptions remain, particularly regarding metabolic risk factors, sleep and the nature of CVD. A pronounced gender contrast was observed, with better knowledge but more underweight among females and higher overweight/obesity with somewhat poorer knowledge among males. These findings highlight the need for early, gender-sensitive, behaviour-focused CVD prevention strategies in university settings, aligned with broader national efforts to reduce the future burden of NCDs in Uzbekistan and the wider Central Asian region.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionList\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eBMI\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ebody mass index\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eCI\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003econfidence interval\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eCVD\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ecardiovascular disease\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eDEFF\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003edesign effect\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eGDP\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003egross domestic product\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eLMICs\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003elow- and middle-income countries\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eNCDs\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003enon-communicable diseases\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eSD\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003estandard deviation\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eSPSS\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eStatistical Package for the Social Sciences\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eWHO\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWorld Health Organization\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eχ\u0026sup2;\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003echi-square.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot applicable\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Protocol No. 5/24-1905; 21 June 2024). Administrative permission was obtained from each participating university. Study procedures conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant national regulations.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no conflicts of interest.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo financial support was received for this study.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eConceptualization: JJ, OK. Methodology: JJ, OK, MU. Data collection: OK, BM, DK, RS, TS, MM, TA, RA. Data curation: JJ, OKK. Formal analysis: JJ and TT. Writing\u0026mdash;original draft: JJ. Writing, review and editing: JJ, OK, MU, BM, TT, RA, TS, MM, TA, BM, DK, RS. Supervision: JJ, RS. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authors thank the students who participated in the survey and the university staff who facilitated data collection. We also acknowledge colleagues who provided feedback on the questionnaire design.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated and analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to ethical and privacy restrictions but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLindstrom M, DeCleene N, Dorsey H, Fuster V, Johnson CO, LeGrand KE, et al. Summary of Global Burden of Disease Study Methods. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2022;80(25):2372\u0026ndash;425.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDi Cesare M, McGhie DV, Perel P, Mwangi J, Taylor S, Pervan B et al. The Heart of the World. Glob Heart. 2024;19(1).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAringazina A, Kuandikov T, Arkhipov V. Burden of the Cardiovascular Diseases in Central Asia. Cent Asian J Glob Health. 2018;7(1).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eP\u0026ouml;rschmann T, Meier T, Lorkowski S. Cardiovascular mortality attributable to dietary risk factors in 54 countries in the WHO European Region from 1990 to 2019: an updated systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2024.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGaziano TA. Cardiovascular disease in the developing world and its cost-effective management. Vol. 112, Circulation. 2005. pp. 3547\u0026ndash;53.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFarrington J, Kontsevaya A, Small R, Ermakova Y, Kulikov A, Gamgabeli L et al. Prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in Uzbekistan The case for investment Prepared for the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan by WHO Regional Office for Europe United Nations Development Programme [Internet]. 2018. Available from: \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttp://www.euro.who.int/pubrequest\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"http://www.euro.who.int/pubrequest\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eScott J, Agarwala A, Baker-Smith CM, Feinstein MJ, Jakubowski K, Kaar J et al. Cardiovascular Health in the Transition From Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. J Am Heart Association. 2025;14(9).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eG\u0026uuml;neş FE, Bekiroglu N, Imeryuz N, Agirbasli M. Awareness of cardiovascular risk factors among university students in Turkey. Prim Health Care Res Dev. 2019;20:e127.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePeltzer K, Pengpid S. Prevalence, risk awareness and health beliefs of behavioural risk factors for cardiovascular disease among university students in nine ASEAN countries. BMC Public Health. 2018;18(1).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReiner Ž, Sonicki Z, Tedeschi-Reiner E. The perception and knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors among medical students. Croat Med J. 2012;53(3):278\u0026ndash;84.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChen Q, Dai JN, Chen XD, Qin T, Lai WY, Wang Y. Awareness of hazards due to tobacco among people aged 15 years and older in Chongqing, China, in 2020: A cross-sectional analysis. Tob Induc Dis. 2022;20(December).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaksimović M, Marinković JM, Vlajinac HD, Maksimović JM, Tomanić MS, Radak DJ. Awareness and knowledge of cardiovascular disease risk factors among medical students. Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2017;129(13\u0026ndash;14):458\u0026ndash;63.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMukhopadhay S, Mukherjee A, Khanra D, Samanta B, Karak A, Guha S. Cardiovascular disease risk factors among undergraduate medical students in a tertiary care centre of eastern India: a pilot study. Egypt Heart J. 2021;73(1).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAwad A, Al-Nafisi H. Public knowledge of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors in Kuwait: A cross-sectional survey. BMC Public Health. Volume 14. BioMed Central Ltd.; 2014.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEstebsari F, Barati M, Stiri S, Latifi M, Shahsavari A, Milani AS et al. Risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in young adults: a community-based study of Iranian context. BMC Public Health. 2024;24(1).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRiley L, Guthold R, Cowan M, Savin S, Bhatti L, Armstrong T, et al. The world health organization STEPwise approach to noncommunicable disease risk-factor surveillance: Methods, challenges, and opportunities. Am J Public Health. 2016;106(1):74\u0026ndash;8.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAceijas C, Waldh\u0026auml;usl S, Lambert N, Cassar S, Bello-Corassa R. Determinants of health-related lifestyles among university students. Perspectives in Public Health. Volume 137. SAGE Publications Ltd; 2017. pp. 227\u0026ndash;36.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKałka D, Domagała Z, Rusiecki L, Gworys B, Kolȩda P, Dąbrowski P, et al. Cardiovascular risk factors among lower silesian students of the faculty of medicine: Knowledge and distribution. Adv Clin Experimental Med. 2016;25(2):341\u0026ndash;7.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKazim MN, AbouMoussa TH, AL-Hammadi FA, Ali A, Al, Abedini FM, Ahmad FSM et al. Population awareness of cardiovascular disease risk factors and health care seeking behavior in the UAE. Am J Prev Cardiol. 2021;8.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlthubaiti A. Sample size determination: A practical guide for health researchers. Vol. 24, Journal of General and Family Medicine. John Wiley and Sons Inc; 2023. pp. 72\u0026ndash;8.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSun J, Qiao Y, Zhao M, Magnussen CG, Xi B. Global, regional, and national burden of cardiovascular diseases in youths and young adults aged 15\u0026ndash;39 years in 204 countries/territories, 1990\u0026ndash;2019: a systematic analysis of Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. BMC Med. 2023;21(1).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOjo AE, Ojji DB, Grobbee DE, Huffman MD, Peters SAE. The Burden of Cardiovascular Disease Attributable to Hypertension in Nigeria: A Modelling Study Using Summary-Level Data. Glob Heart. 2024;19(1).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEstebsari F, Barati M, Stiri S, Latifi M, Shahsavari A, Milani AS et al. Risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in young adults: a community-based study of Iranian context. BMC Public Health. 2024;24(1).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBhaskar RK, Sah MN, Gaurav K, Bhaskar SC, Singh R, Yadav MK et al. Prevalence and correlates of tobacco use among adolescents in the schools of Kalaiya, Nepal: A cross-sectional questionnaire based study. Tob Induc Dis. 2016;14(1).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDuarte-Cl\u0026iacute;ments G, Mauricio TF, G\u0026oacute;mez-Salgado J, Moreira RP, Romero-Mart\u0026iacute;n M, S\u0026aacute;nchez-G\u0026oacute;mez MB. Assessment of cardiovascular risk factors in young adults through the nursing diagnosis: A cross-sectional study among international university students. Healthc (Switzerland). 2021;9(1).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAydin V, Vizdiklar C, Akici A, Akman M, Gogas Yavuz D, Altikardes ZA, et al. Evaluation of health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of undergraduate students by cardiovascular risk factors. Primary Health Care Research and Development. Cambridge University Press; 2021.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDaniels SR, Pratt CA, Hayman LL. Reduction of risk for cardiovascular disease in children and adolescents. Circulation. 2011;124(15):1673\u0026ndash;86.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRekar SL, Dean CA, Radhakrishnan S, Zhang D. Assessing the Cardiovascular Health Status and Knowledge Level of College Students. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2022;16(4):527\u0026ndash;37.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAryal KK, Mehata S, Neupane S, Vaidya A, Dhimal M, Dhakal P et al. The burden and determinants of non communicable diseases risk factors in Nepal: Findings from a nationwide STEPS survey. PLoS ONE. 2015;10(8).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"cardiovascular disease, knowledge, risk factors, university students, Uzbekistan","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8227098/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8227098/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, yet little is known about CVD knowledge and related behaviours among young adults in Central Asia. This study assessed CVD knowledge, lifestyle behaviours, and body mass index (BMI) among non-medical undergraduate students in Uzbekistan.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe conducted a cross-sectional survey among non-medical undergraduates at three public universities in Uzbekistan between September and November 2024. An anonymous online questionnaire collected socio-demographic characteristics, self-reported height and weight, tobacco and alcohol use, salt intake, physical activity, and knowledge of CVD and its risk factors. Descriptive statistics were generated, and Pearson\u0026rsquo;s chi-square (χ\u0026sup2;) tests examined differences in CVD knowledge and BMI categories by sex and academic grade.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eOf 800 invited students, 742 completed the survey (response rate 92.8%); 68.7% were female, and 93.9% were aged\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;23 years. Current tobacco and alcohol use were reported by 5.8% and 2.8% of students, respectively. 42.7% reported high salt intake, and 75.6% engaged in weekly physical exercise. Overall, the majority of the students (65.8%) had normal body weight, but 10.4% were overweight and 1.3% were obese; BMI distribution differed significantly by sex and grade (both p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). half of the students (51.1%) correctly identified CVD as the leading cause of death although 94.3% had heard of heart disease, heart attack or stroke. The participants showed overall high awareness of CVD-risk factors, however awareness of high cholesterol, diabetes, and poor sleep as CVD risk factors was relatively low. Female students more often identified CVD as the leading cause of death and correctly recognised high cholesterol and smoking as risk factors, the benefits of quitting smoking, and the non-contagious nature of CVD than male peers (all p\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05), whereas grade-related differences in knowledge were limited.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eNon-medical university students in Uzbekistan have moderate CVD knowledge, but significant gaps and misconceptions persist, along with a pronounced gender contrast in both knowledge and BMI. Targeted, gender-sensitive CVD prevention initiatives in university settings are needed to support early risk reduction in this key population in Uzbekistan.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Knowledge of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors among non-medical undergraduate students in Uzbekistan: A cross-sectional study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-12-12 05:25:31","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8227098/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"54fa0c01-e08e-4ddc-b9a2-f392fdc38905","owner":[],"postedDate":"December 12th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-05T09:23:19+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-12-12 05:25:31","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8227098","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8227098","identity":"rs-8227098","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}