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Revista Uruguaya de Cardiología
On-line version ISSN 1688-0420
Abstract
ARTUCIO, Carolina and DURO, Ivanna. Encuesta de percepción de la enfermedad cardiovascular de la mujer por la mujer. Rev.Urug.Cardiol. [online]. 2012, vol.27, n.3, pp.304-312. ISSN 1688-0420.
Cardiovascular disease still is the main cause of death in both men and women in Uruguay but this fact is ignored by most women. It is also vastly ignored by women belonging to western countries. The objective of this study is to evaluate the knowledge and perception of cardiovascular diseases of women by women. Method and results: 131 women were randomly selected in three hospitals between March 1 and April 4, 2012. Doctors and nurses were excluded. They answered a questionnaire that was prepared to evaluate the perception of cardiovascular disease as a health problem and cause of death in women. Mean age of the selected population was 42 ± 12 years. Cancer was perceived as one of the three more important health problems by 86% of the population, followed by heart diseases in 33%. When women in this group were asked for the three most frequent causes of death, 63% mentioned cancer in general, 54% mentioned violent death, 49% breast cancer, 42% cardiac diseases and 18% stroke. Only 20.7% of the selected group considered heart attack as first cause of death, there were no significant difference of proportions between different level of education groups (p=0,92). Ninety seven percent of the surveyed women had gone to see a doctor for health control in the last two years, but only one third of them received information about cardiovascular diseases and its prevention. Conclusion: the perception of the surveyed women is that cancer is their main health problem and cause of death. Just 1 of 5 considered cardiovascular disease as the main cause of death. In spite women were aware of the symptoms of cardiovascular disease, their knowledge of risk factors and their prevention is far less known
Keywords : CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE; PREVENTION; WOMAN; RISK FACTORS; PERCEPTION.