Key result
Black and Hispanic women linked to up to ~31% lower awareness of heart disease as leading killer.
Why the study?
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for US women, yet heart disease awareness significantly declined from 2009 to 2019, particularly among racial/ethnic minority and young women.
Does awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death differ among Black, Hispanic, White, and Asian/Other women?
Cross-Sectional (n=422)
Does awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death differ among Black, Hispanic, White, and Asian/Other women?
Black and Hispanic women continue to have significantly lower awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death compared to White women, highlighting the need for targeted, culturally appropriate educational interventions.
Disparities in heart disease awareness persist among Black and Hispanic women; hypothesis-generating for targeted education before practice change.
BACKGROUND: Heart disease is the leading cause of death (LCOD) for women in the United States. However, despite decades of public health campaigns, awareness of heart disease among women, especially those with racial/ethnic minority backgrounds and young women, significantly declined from 2009 to 2019. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the differences in heart disease awareness as the LCOD among Black, Hispanic, White, and Asian/Other women groups. METHODS: In this cross-sectional, online survey study, 422 community-dwelling women were analyzed. Heart disease as the LCOD was categorized as the correct answer. We implemented log-linear models via a Poisson regression to estimate unadjusted and adjusted relative risks [RRs] of race in predicting correct knowledge of LCOD. RESULTS: The mean age was 41.2 (±12.9) years. The sample represents 39.8 % Hispanic, 28.4 % White, 19.9 % Black, 11.9 % Asian/others. After adjusting for age and cardiovascular disease risks, Black and Hispanic women, as compared to White women, had significantly lower awareness of heart disease as the LCOD [(Adjusted RR=0.69, 95 % CI: 0.52, 0.92); (Adjusted RR= 0.78, 95 % CI: 0.78 -0.94), respectively]. Additionally, physical inactivity and hypertension medication intake were significantly associated with this level of awareness (P < 0.5). CONCLUSION: Lower heart disease awareness in Black and Hispanic women persists. It is crucial to develop more effective approaches to close this disparity. Testing new methods, such as applying artificial intelligence to send more culturally appropriate and personalized messages, is urgently needed to raise women's awareness of their heart disease risk.
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Fukuoka et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Heart disease awareness (n=422). Black or Hispanic race/ethnicity vs. White race/ethnicity was evaluated on Correct knowledge of heart disease as the leading cause of death (Adjusted RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.52-0.92). Compared to White women, Black and Hispanic women had significantly lower awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death (Adjusted RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.52-0.92 and RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.78-0.94).
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