Background:

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent a major health problem for women in Uruguay. More women than men die every year in our country due to heart disease and 13 women die every day, according to the latest published vital statistics.

Objective:

to evaluate the perception, knowledge and preventive behaviors of CVD of women by women.

Method and results:

in 2013, 300 women (age 20-70 years) were selected at random and surveyed by telephone, distributed in proportion to the population in terms socioeconomic level and age. The questionnaire assessed the perception of CVD as a health problem, cause of death and prevention behaviors. Cancer was perceived by 52% as the main health problem and 62% as the leading cause of death. So was CVD in 17% and 12% respectively. The vast majority of women respondents had an adequate level of knowledge about cardiovascular risk factors, symptoms of heart disease, as well as behaviors that prevent or reduce the likelihood of becoming ill. However, most women, especially the young ones underestimated this disease and perceived breast cancer as a main health concern rather than CVD. Few women talk about this with their doctors (41% of prevention measures and 32% of CVD symptoms).

Conclusion:

the perception of the surveyed women was that cancer is their main health problem and cause of death. Just 12% perceived CVD as the main cause of death. Although women knew the symptoms and risk factors of this illness, they didn’t associate it with a gender problem.

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