Citation: Has , , I.M.; Teleky, B.-E.; Vodnar, D.-C.; S , tef˘ anescu, B.E.; Tit, D.M.; Nit , escu, M. Polyphenols and Cardiometabolic Health: Knowledge and Concern among Romanian People. Nutrients 2023, 15, 2281. https://doi.org/10.3390/ nu15102281 Academic Editors: Egeria Scoditti and Maria Annunziata Carluccio Received: 27 April 2023 Revised: 5 May 2023 Accepted: 8 May 2023 Published: 12 May 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). nutrients Article Polyphenols and Cardiometabolic Health: Knowledge and Concern among Romanian People Ioana Mariana Has , 1 , Bernadette-Em ˝ oke Teleky 2,3 , Dan-Cristian Vodnar 2,3 , Bianca Eugenia S , tefănescu 2, *, Delia Mirela Tit 4, * and Maria Nit , escu 5 1 Doctoral School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Oradea, 410087 Oradea, Romania; ioanahas@gmail.com 2 Institute of Life Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; bernadette.teleky@usamvcluj.ro (B.-E.T.); dan.vodnar@usamvcluj.ro (D.-C.V.) 3 Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania 4 Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, 29 N. Jiga St., 410028 Oradea, Romania 5 Department of Preclinical–Complementary Sciences, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila”, 050474 Bucharest, Romania; mnitecudsp@gmail.com * Correspondence: bianca.vodnar@usamvcluj.ro (B.E.S , .); dtit@uoradea.ro (D.M.T.) Abstract: The cardiometabolic health of the population is a crucial indicator of public health, con- sidering the significant impact of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes on global mortality. Determining the population’s knowledge and the predictors of these pathologies is essential in developing effective educational and clinical strategies for the prevention and management of car- diometabolic risk (CMR). Polyphenols are natural compounds with a multitude of beneficial effects on cardiometabolic health. This study explored the current knowledge, understanding, and awareness of CMR, the benefits of polyphenols among Romanians, and how sociodemographic and clinical characteristics influence this aspect. Five hundred forty-six subjects responded anonymously to an online questionnaire designed to assess their knowledge. The data were collected and analyzed based on gender, age, education level, and BMI status. Most respondents expressed concern to a great or very great extent about their health (78%) and food (60%), with significant differences (p < 0.05) depending on age, educational level, and BMI status. Of the respondents, 64.8% declared that they were familiar with the CMR term. Still, the results showed a weak correlation between the stated risk factors and the self-assessment of increased risk (r = 0.027) for CVD or diabetes. Only 35% of the respondents reported a good or very good knowledge of the term “polyphenols”, 86% recognized the antioxidant effect, and significantly fewer (26%) recognized the prebiotic effect. Developing and implementing targeted educational strategies to enhance learning and individual behaviors related to CMR factors and the benefits of polyphenols is necessary. Keywords: polyphenols; cardiovascular disease; population behavior; education; obesity; awareness 1. Introduction The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and diabetes are constantly increas- ing worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), CVD and diabetes are responsible for most non-communicable disease deaths, totaling 19.5 million people annually [1]. At the same time, we are facing an obesity epidemic worldwide, and this is one of the most critical risk factors for CVD and diabetes [2]. As can be observed in Figure 1, in 2019, CVDs and diabetes were responsible for 56.4% of all deaths in Roma- nia, and Romania is among the first of the countries with the highest death prevalence in Europe [3]. However, at the national level, there are no screening programs for the prevention, early identification, or limitation of the complications that may occur in CVDs and diabetes. A systematic assessment of the cardiometabolic risk (CMR) is necessary. Nutrients 2023, 15, 2281. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15102281 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients