Cardiovascular Risk Perception and Knowledge among Italian Women: Lessons from IGENDA Protocol (original) (raw)
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BioMed research international, 2015
Background. The objectives of the study were to document knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of women regarding cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and the determinants associated. Materials and Methods. The cross-sectional survey was conducted among a random sample of 830 women older than 18 years from the general population in Italy. Results. Almost all participants reported having heard about CVDs, and among them 89.4% and 74.7% identified smoking and high cholesterol level as risk factors. Only 26.5% identified the main CVDs risk factors. Women more knowledgeable were married and better educated and self-perceived a worse health status. Only 23% knew the main CVDs preventive measures and this knowledge was significantly higher in women who are unemployed, who are more educated, who have received information about CVDs from physicians, and who know the main risk factors. Respondents with lower education, those with at least three children, those who self-perceived a worse health statu...
The Canadian journal of cardiology, 2014
Heart disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in men and women. Our understanding of heart disease stems chiefly from clinical trials on men, but key features of the disease differ in women. This article reports findings from the first Canadian national survey of women that focuses on knowledge, perceptions, and lifestyle related to heart health. A cross-country survey using an adaptation of an instrument used in the United States was undertaken in spring of 2013. Based on online (208) and telephone (1446) responses from a randomly selected sample of women aged 25 or older, a total sample of 1654 weighted percentage estimates were produced. The overall response rate was 12.5%. Just under half of women were able to name smoking as a risk factor of heart disease, and less than one quarter named hypertension or high cholesterol. Fewer than half of women knew the major symptoms of heart disease. Most women prefer to receive information on heart health from their doctor, bu...
Knowledge and perception of cardiovascular disease risks of female university students
Journal of Community and Health Sciences, 2008
Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD), traditionally thought of as a "man's disease", is the leading cause of death and disability amongst women world-wide. Research demonstrates a lack of knowledge and perceived susceptibility amongst women, especially in the younger age group. Aim: To evaluate knowledge and perception of CVD risks of female university students. Methods: Four hundred and thirty eight students completed a structured, self-administered questionnaire including items regarding knowledge, risk perception and risky behaviour regarding CVD. Results : Overall, 56.8 % of the participants were knowledgeable (; 70% correct answers) of CVD risks, with a mere 6.6% indicating heart disease as the greatest health risk for women. The White population (40.2%) was identified as the race most susceptib le to CVD. A significant relationship between risk perception and being informed of the risk of developing CVD (p=.OOO) and having a family history of CVD (p=.OOO) wa...
Low Cardiovascular Disease Awareness in Chilean Women: Insights from the ESCI Project
Global Heart, 2020
Background: Although cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in Latin American women, limited data exist on CVD perceptions in this population. This study aimed to assess CVD awareness and knowledge of women from Santiago, Chile. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in women 35 to 70 years old. A multistage probability sampling (stratified by age and socioeconomic level) was used for participant selection. Participants completed a home survey about knowledge of CVD, risk factors, and perceived risk (based on standardized questions from the American Heart Association awareness survey). Results: 723 women participated in the study (mean age: 51 ± 9 years; 17.6% with high education level). Only 9.3% of the respondents mentioned CVD as women's primary health problem, whereas 22.7% and 16.1%, respectively, listed breast cancer and other cancers. When asked to identify the leading cause of women's death, only 14.4% identified CVD compared to 69.1% who recorded cancer. Older women (≥ 55 years) more likely identified CVD as the main cause of death: (OR 2.9: 95% CI = 1.8-4.5) versus younger women (<55 years). CVD family history was also associated with higher awareness of CVD as the leading cause of death (OR 1.7: 95% IC; p = 1.1-2.6). Instead, women with middle education level were less likely to mention CVD as the main women's killer. Conclusions: Chilean women from Santiago have a low awareness of CVD as the leading cause of death and do not recognize CVD as their prominent health problem. Efforts should focus on increasing awareness and knowledge about CVD especially in young women.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
We evaluated gender differences in knowledge and perception of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Italian thalassemia major (TM) patients. An anonymous questionnaire was completed by 139 β-TM patients (87 (62.7%) females, 40.90 ± 8.03 years). Compared to females, males showed a significantly higher frequency of CVDs, and they less frequently selected tumors in general as the greatest health problem for people of the same age and gender (48.1% vs. 66.7%; p = 0.031) and as the greatest danger to their future health (26.9% vs. 43.7%; p = 0.048). CVDs were designated as the greatest danger to their future health by a significantly higher percentage of males than females (53.8% vs. 36.8%; p = 0.048). Both males and females showed a good knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors and preventive measures for CVDs. No gender differences were detected in the subjective well-being and the perceived cardiovascular risk. The perceived risk was not influenced by age, presence of cardiovascular ris...
Fifteen-Year Trends in Awareness of Heart Disease in Women
Circulation, 2013
Background— The purpose of this study was to evaluate trends in awareness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among women between 1997 and 2012 by racial/ethnic and age groups, as well as knowledge of CVD symptoms and preventive behaviors/barriers. Methods and Results— A study of awareness of CVD was conducted by the American Heart Association in 2012 among US women >25 years of age identified through random-digit dialing (n=1205) and Harris Poll Online (n=1227), similar to prior American Heart Association national surveys. Standardized questions on awareness were given to all women; additional questions about preventive behaviors/barriers were given online. Data were weighted, and results were compared with triennial surveys since 1997. Between 1997 and 2012, the rate of awareness of CVD as the leading cause of death nearly doubled (56% versus 30%; P <0.001). The rate of awareness among black and Hispanic women in 2012 (36% and 34%, respectively) was similar to that of white...
Gender and Social Inequalities in Awareness of Coronary Artery Disease in European Countries
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the single leading cause of death in Europe and the most common form of cardiovascular disease. Little is known about awareness in the European population. A cross-sectional telephone survey of 2609 individuals from six European countries was conducted to gather information on perceptions of CAD, risk factors, preventive measures, knowledge of heart attack symptoms and ability to seek emergency medical care. Level of awareness was compared according to gender, age, socioeconomic status (SES) and educational level. Women were approximately five times less likely than men to consider heart disease as a main health issue or leading cause of death (OR = 0.224, 95% CI: 0.178–0.280, OR = 0.196, 95% CI: 0.171–0.226). Additionally, women were significantly less likely to have ever had a cardiovascular screening test (OR = 0.515, 95% CI: 0.459–0.578). Only 16.3% of men and 15.3% of women were able to spontaneously identify the main symptoms of a heart attack....
National Study of Women’s Awareness, Preventive Action, and Barriers to Cardiovascular Health
Circulation, 2006
Background— There is growing awareness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as the leading cause of death in women, but whether this greater awareness is associated with increased action by women to lower their personal or family’s risk is unknown. Methods and Results— A nationally representative sample of 1008 women selected through random-digit dialing were given a standardized questionnaire about history of CVD/risk factors, awareness of leading cause of death, knowledge of healthy and personal levels of CVD risk factors, self-reported actions taken to reduce risk, and barriers to heart health. The rate of awareness of CVD as the leading cause of death has nearly doubled since 1997 (55% versus 30%) was significantly greater for whites compared with blacks and Hispanics (62% versus 38% and 34%, respectively) and was independently correlated with increased physical activity (odds ratio, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.83) and weight loss (odds ratio, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.14 to 2.02) in the previous ...