title: Relationship between cardiovascular disease knowledge and race/ethnicity, education, and weight status.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Inadequate cardiovascular disease (CVD) knowledge has been cited to account for the imperfect decline in CVD among women over the last 2 decades.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Due to concerns that at-risk women might not know the leading cause of death or symptoms of a heart attack, our goal was to assess the relationship between CVD knowledge race/ethnicity, education, and body mass index (BMI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a structured questionnaire, CVD knowledge, socio-demographics, risk factors, and BMI were evaluated in 681 women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants included Hispanic, 42.1% (n = 287); non-Hispanic white (NHW), 40.2% (n = 274); non-Hispanic black (NHB), 7.3% (n = 50); and Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI), 8.7% (n = 59). Average BMI was 26.3 ± 6.1 kg/m(2) . Hypertension was more frequent among overweight (45%) and obese (62%) than normal weight (24%) (P < 0.0001), elevated total cholesterol was more frequent among overweight (41%) and obese (44%) than normal weight (30%) (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively), and diabetes was more frequent among obese (25%) than normal weight (5%) (P < 0.0001). Knowledge of the leading cause of death and symptoms of a heart attack varied by race/ethnicity and education (P < 0.001) but not BMI. Concerning the leading cause of death among women in the United States, 87.6% (240/274) NHW answered correctly compared to 64% (32/50) NHB (P < 0.05), 28.3% (80/283) Hispanic (P < 0.0001), and 55.9% (33/59) A/PI (P < 0.001). Among participants with ≤12 years of education, 21.2% knew the leading cause of death and 49.3% knew heart attack symptoms vs 75.7% and 75.5%, respectively, for >12 years (both P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Effective prevention strategies for at-risk populations need to escalate CVD knowledge and awareness among the undereducated and minority women.
authors.affiliation: Center for Women's Health, Division of Cardiology Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA. evg1@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Elsa-Grace V
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Giardina
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mull
authors.forename: Robert R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Sciacca
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akabas
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Flink
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moise
authors.forename: Tracy K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Nicole E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Dumas
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bier
authors.forename: Deirdre
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mattina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
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