Key result
Eighty-seven percent of women in a national survey failed to cite heart disease as a major health threat, highlighting a critical need for education to reduce cardiovascular risks.
There is a significant gap in awareness among US women regarding cardiovascular disease being their primary health threat, highlighting the need for targeted education and lifestyle modification.
Awareness gaps may prompt risk discussions in clinic; leaves open whether education improves outcomes in women.
One woman dies of cardiovascular disease (CVD) every minute in the United States. CVD is the primary cause of mortality in US women, substantially affecting the lives of African American women compared to other ethnic groups. In a national survey conducted by the American Heart Association, 87% of women surveyed failed to cite heart disease as a major threat to their health. These misperceptions may lead women to underestimate their risk for CVD, resulting in a delay in seeking medical care, thus increasing their morbidity and mortality rates. Professional association guidelines and Internet resources for women and their health care providers are available to address the risk factors of smoking, diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and physical inactivity. Unless women are informed and educated about these risk factors, they are unable to modify their lifestyles, be proactive in their health care, or reduce their cardiovascular risks.
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Angela Banks (2008) conducted a review in Cardiovascular disease. Awareness of heart disease was evaluated on Failure to cite heart disease as a major health threat. Eighty-seven percent of women in a national survey failed to cite heart disease as a major health threat, highlighting a critical need for education to reduce cardiovascular risks.
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