Abstract
OBJECTIVES: While people living with HIV are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the level of awareness of CVD risk in this population is not well documented. This study aimed to assess the association between CVD risk factor knowledge and estimated CVD risk among people living with HIV. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of people living with HIV aged between 40 and 79 years was conducted at a referral HIV Care Clinic in Gaborone, Botswana, between March and October 2017. CVD risk factor knowledge was determined using the Heart Disease Fact Questionnaire (HDFQ). The 10-year predicted cardiovascular risk was assessed using the Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) risk score. High CVD risk knowledge was defined as HDFQ score >70% while ASCVD score of ≥7.5% was categorized as high risk for CVD. RESULTS: Of the 201 participants, 126 (62.7%) were female, with a mean age (standard deviation [SD]) of 50.4 (±7.6) years. The mean (SD) HDFQ score was 73.3 (±14.1). Twenty-four percent of the participants had an ASCVD score ≥7.5%. Estimated CVD risk was not associated with CVD risk knowledge level (odds ratio [OR] 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76-1.20, p = 0.685). CONCLUSIONS: The level of CVD risk knowledge in our study was high; however, there was no association to predicted CVD risk, even in those at high risk of CVD. Future should explore interventions aimed at increasing the level of CVD risk factor knowledge among people living with HIV at higher risk for CVD.