Vol. 1, Issue 10, Part L (2015)

Abstract
Introduction: Antioxidants are natural substances that exist as vitamins, minerals, and other compounds in foods. They are believed that helps to prevent disease by fighting substances called "free radicals" that are produced when our body uses oxygen. Methodology: A Quantitative research approach and one group pretest – posttest research design was selected. The study includes 60 patients selected by purposive sampling techniques. The study was conducted in Chettinad hospital and research institute at Kelambakkam. Structured questionnaire was used to collect the data by interview schedule. Results: The results revealed that there was a significant difference between mean pre test scores and mean post test scores of knowledge regarding antioxidant diet among cardiac patients. The pretest mean knowledge score is 6.18 with SD 2.37 and the post test mean score is 12.73 with SD 1.59. The calculated value of paired’t’ is 24.22 which is statistically significant at P < 0.01 level. Conclusion: The study concludes that the structured teaching programme is effective in enhancing the knowledge regarding antioxidant diet among cardiac patients.