US women uninformed about heart disease

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US women uninformed about heart disease

By Alan Mozes

NEW YORK, May 14 (Reuters Health) - Heart disease is a seriously

misunderstood illness among American women, according to a new poll, with

only about one-third accurately recognizing it as the number-one killer of

women and less than 10% viewing it as their greatest health problem.

" Although many women die unnecessarily every year from heart disease, women

are not aware that they are at risk, " said Dr. Rose Marie on,

president of the American Heart Association (AHA).

The AHA commissioned the poll--conducted by Interactive--to assess

women's perceptions and sources of information regarding general health

risks as well as heart disease and stroke. An update of a previous poll

completed in 1997, the national survey involved over 1,000 women over the

age of 25 who were interviewed by telephone in June and July of 2000.

The researchers found that although cardiovascular disease kills more

American men and women than any other illness, over 60% of women believed

cancer is their leading health problem--a figure basically unchanged from

three years prior.

Specific knowledge about heart disease was found to be uneven. In spite of

the fact that almost 70% of the women said they were concerned about stroke

and 65% knew that chest pain is a warning sign of an attack, only 36%

recognized that sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body or face

is a symptom.

Over one-quarter mistakenly thought that aromatherapy can offer protection

against the disease.

However, most women were able to identify the seven activities that can best

prevent or reduce the risk of developing heart disease, including exercise,

weight and stress reduction, quitting smoking and reducing consumption of

cholesterol, sodium and animal products.

And the researchers also pointed to the encouraging fact that three-quarters

of women reported having received some information on heart disease in the

prior year.

Nonetheless, the poll revealed that only 20% of the women had discussed the

issue with a healthcare professional in the last year, with most saying that

they were informed on the subject either through magazines (43%) or

television (21%).

The researchers also noted that 35% viewed heart disease as something that

can suddenly develop between the ages of 35 and 49--in spite of the fact

that the illness is widely known to develop gradually, potentially starting

at a very early age.

Remarking on the poll results in an editorial published in the May