Baseline Knowledge of Peripheral Arterial Disease and Factors Influencing Learning Material Preferences in the San Francisco Chinese-Speaking Community: A Survey Analysis

Background: The influence of health literacy on PAD outcomes remains poorly understood, particularly in minoritized communities. The objective of this study is to examine the understanding of PAD within San Francisco’s Chinese-speaking population while discerning preferences regarding learning methods. Materials and Methods: An anonymous 14-question survey in Mandarin and English was conducted in two San Francisco Chinatown health fairs. Results: About one-third of the respondents (29/91) reported prior knowledge about PAD and that arthritis was the leading symptom related to PAD (32/65). Half of respondents (44/88) preferred consulting a family doctor for foot wounds, followed by a podiatrist (27/88) and a general surgeon (19/88). The top three methods to receive health information were radio, television and newspaper. Those who were 65 years old and above (OR 0.124, 95% CI [0.021–0.0728]) and participants who were proficient in English (OR 0.078; 95% CI [0.012–0.52]) less preferred using radio to receive health information. Male gender preferred newspapers to receive health information (p = 0.003, OR 5.26; 95% CI [1.76–15.69]). Discussion: Our findings may suggest a community-specific campaign to increase the awareness of PAD given that age, education level, gender and English proficiency may influence the media of choice to receive health information. Conclusions: The two cohorts that were surveyed had similar and suboptimal understanding of PAD, and a community-specific strategy is needed to address such inequity, which may improve awareness of PAD and health outcomes.