Cecily O'Connor
RedwoodAge.com

About half of women still don't know the signs of a heart attack or that they are most likely to die from cardiovascular disease

New data from the American Heart Association (AHA) also found only about half would call 9-1-1 if they thought they were having symptoms of a heart attack.

The study showed little improvement over the past 13 years in what women know about the top threat to their health and underscored the need for improved education.

"It's particularly important that national campaigns cut through the mixed messages women receive and deliver the facts about how they can prevent heart disease," said Lori Mosca, director of preventive cardiology at New York Presbyterian Hospital and a spokesperson for the AHA's Go Red For Women campaign.

For example, the majority of women surveyed cited antioxidant vitamins as a way to prevent heart disease despite recent research showing no benefit, Mosca said.

Go Red
The Go Red campaign began in 1997. The group's new research will be published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an AHA journal.

Chief among the findings was that 54 percent of women understood that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women, compared with 30 percent in 1997. However, less than half of African-American, Hispanic and Asian women identified heart disease as the leading cause when asked last year. Many younger women also are in the dark, with about half between 25 and 34 aware of heart disease risks.

No matter the age group or minority group, the numbers demonstrate the need for education to prevent death and disability, Mosca said. To that end, the AHA announced its 2020 goal: to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent.

"Our study shows that these goals will be virtually impossible to achieve without first creating awareness among multicultural and younger women, educating women about the warning signs of heart attack and underscoring the importance of calling 9-1-1 immediately if they are experiencing heart attack symptoms," Mosca said.

Low Awareness
The study also found that knowledge of heart attack warning signs in 2009 has not improved much since 1997, with 56 percent of women citing chest pain and neck, shoulder and arm pain; 29 percent, shortness of breath; 17 percent, chest tightness; 15 percent, nausea; and 7 percent, fatigue.

Taking preventive action is also stalled by family or caretaking responsibilities, as well as confusing media reports about heart disease, respondents said.

The study's authors noted that community actions would be helpful in encouraging healthier lifestyles, including better access to healthy foods and public recreation facilities, and listing of nutritional information in restaurants.