Knowledge of heart disease among women in an urban emergency setting.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that the higher prevalence of heart disease-related illnesses in women in urban areas may be attributed to lack of knowledge.


METHODS
A prospective survey of 224 women presenting to an urban emergency department.


METHODS
All study participants were surveyed about their knowledge of heart disease and associated risk factors.


RESULTS
Two-hundred participants correctly completed the surveys. Only 25 (13%) of women correctly identified heart disease as the leading cause of death in women. Similarly, only 12 (6%) of women surveyed felt heart disease was the greatest health issue facing women today. The majority of women felt breast cancer was the most important health issue and responsible for the greatest mortality in women. Only three of the traditional cardiac risk factors were correctly identified by half of the women surveyed: hypercholesteremia (56%), hypertension (54%), and tobacco (52%). Family history was correctly identified by 44%, and only 20% of women felt diabetes was a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite increased medical education and media time spent on women's health issues, up to 87% of women in this urban population did not know the leading cause of death for their gender.
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. hprender@uic.edu
Heather M
HM
Prendergast
E Bradshaw
EB
Bunney
Thessa
T
Roberson
Theresa
T
Davis
D000328:Adult; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014505:Urban Population; D016387:Women's Health