Health literacy and awareness of cardiovascular disease risk factors in kidney transplant recipients

Purpose: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality among kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), and is influenced by both traditional cardiovascular risk and transplant-specific factors. Health literacy and perceptions of exercise play a crucial role in effectively managing these risks. Therefore, this study aimed to compare health literacy, awareness of CVD risk factors, and perceptions of exercise-related benefits and barriers in KTRs and healthy individuals.Methods: Fifty-nine KTRs and 60 healthy control were included. Participants’ health literacy (Health Literacy Scale–Short Form), awareness of CVD risk factors (CVD Risk Factors Knowledge Level [CARRF-KL]), and perception of exercise (the Exercise Benefits/Barriers scale (EBBS)) were evaluated.Results: KTRs demonstrated significantly lower health literacy levels than healthy individuals (p0.05).Conclusion: KTRs have lower health literacy levels compared with healthy individuals, regardless of educational attainment. The disparities in knowledge of CVD risk factors and perceptions of the benefits of exercise seem to be largely explained by educational differentials. These results emphasise the necessity for health literacy–aware educational approaches and personalised exercise guidance as key elements of post-transplant care to enhance self-management and decrease long-term cardiovascular risk.