Abstract Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death among women. Health literacy - the ability to access, understand, and use health information - is vital for managing cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF). However, women often face overlooked symptoms and treatment disparities, with low health literacy exacerbating delays in care and adverse outcomes. Evaluating their cardiovascular health literacy is key to addressing these gaps and improving outcomes. Purpose This study aimed to assess cardiovascular health literacy in a Portuguese female population. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey with women aged 18 and older, recruited during a cardiovascular screening event in Portugal (May 2023). Participants completed a questionnaire adapted from Hyun-Jin Kim et al.'s, evaluating awareness of CVD risk, recognition of symptoms and signs, as well as knowledge regarding the causes, prevention, and appropriate response to CVD. Primary outcome included cardiovascular health literacy; secondary outcome included identifying independent predictors of health literacy. Statistical analyses were conducted with appropriate tests for data distribution. Results This study included 204 women (mean age 55±16 years). The majority of participants (89.2%) resided in urban areas, while only 24.0% had completed a bachelor´s degree or higher. CVFR were present in 64.3%, including a smoking history in 29.9%. CVD affected 6.5% participants, and 62.3% were postmenopausal. Regarding cardiovascular health literacy, 15.5% of participants were unaware of CVD in women, 44.1% had limited knowledge, and only 5.6% felt well-informed. While 27.7% identified CVD as the leading cause of death in women, only 18.8% recognized it as the most prevalent disease, and 26.7% acknowledged worse outcomes in women. Around 40% recognized heart attack symptoms, and 44% identified those of heart failure. Low CVRF knowledge was noted in 22.3%, with 31.1% reporting no prior education on CVD literacy and 24.9% feeling inadequately informed. However, 69.5% had encountered the topic in the past year, and 63.8% found information accessible. Key barriers to lifestyle changes were economic issues (50%) and lack of time (36.7%). Despite these challenges, 77% felt comfortable discussing their health with their doctor. Higher health literacy correlated with greater CVD knowledge (p 0.001). Age (p=0.006), education (p0.001), and menopause (p=0.008) independently predicted lower CVD awareness. Conclusions This study highlights significant gaps in cardiovascular health literacy among Portuguese women, with age, education, and menopause influencing awareness. Addressing barriers like economic challenges and strengthening health literacy is essential to empower women in addressing CVRF and improving outcomes.Table 1 Table 2
Quintal et al. (Sat,) studied this question.