Black, Hispanic, and White women's knowledge of the symptoms of acute myocardial infarction.
OBJECTIVE
To examine Black, Hispanic, and White women's knowledge of the symptoms of acute myocardial infarction.


METHODS
Descriptive, nonexperimental design.


METHODS
Detroit, Michigan, and San Antonio, Texas, metropolitan areas.


METHODS
A convenience sample of 78 ethnically diverse women. Hispanics (n = 26) were recruited from San Antonio, Texas; Blacks (n = 26) were recruited from Detroit, Michigan; and Whites were recruited from San Antonio, Texas (n = 13), and Detroit, Michigan (n = 13).


METHODS
Participants ranked 10 acute symptoms they believed represented a myocardial infarction: anxiety, arms ache, change in thinking, chest pain, cough, fatigue, decreased appetite, headache, indigestion, and shortness of breath. Next, participants assigned a likelihood score for each acute symptom as representing a myocardial infarction.


RESULTS
Hispanic women were more likely than Black women to perceive the symptom of headache as indicative of a myocardial infarction. Women older than age 45 were more likely to assign a higher likelihood score to the symptom of shortness of breath than were women age 45 or younger.


CONCLUSIONS
Age and ethnic differences were noted in women's perception of the signs and symptoms indicative of a myocardial infarction.
Arslanian-Engoren
Cynthia
C
University of Michigan School of Nursing, 400 N. Ingalls, Room 2176, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA. cmae@umich.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education* / Q000208:ethnology; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000592:standards; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000193:education* / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008824:Michigan; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D013781:Texas; D044465:White People / Q000193:education* / Q000208:ethnology; D014930:Women / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology