Abstract 13871: Portrayal of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Popular Film

Abstract

Introduction: The representation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in popular media plays a pivotal role in shaping public conceptions about CV health. CVD is the leading cause of death among women and disproportionately affects racial/ethnic minority populations in the United States, yet recent national surveys indicate a significant decline in public awareness. Our study sought to investigate the portrayal of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in popular film. Hypothesis: Portrayal of AMI in film will predominantly show white men exhibiting symptoms of chest pain. Women, racial/ethnic minority populations, and subtle symptoms of AMI will be underrepresented. Aims: To examine 100 full length feature film scenes depicting AMI and evaluate the representation of gender, race/ethnicity, and symptoms. Methods: The 100 most popular films with scenes depicting AMI were identified using the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Scenes and AMI symptoms were analyzed by cardiologists/cardiology fellows. Gender and race/ethnicity were acquired via movie plots/scripts or via actor self-identification if the former was unavailable. Results: Of the 100 scenes analyzed, 10% depicted women. The representation of people of color was only 6% in contrast to the 94% of scenes featuring non-Hispanic whites. Of the 10 women portrayed, 1 was non-white. The distribution of gender and race/ethnicity for all scenes is shown in Figure 1. The most prevalent presenting symptom observed in 65% of scenes was chest pain accompanied by loss of consciousness. Conclusions: Popular film depictions of AMI appear to be under representative of women and racial/ethnic minority populations. This may be a contributing factor to the inaccurate public perception that CVD does not affect these populations. Film depictions of AMI, which predominantly portray dramatic symptoms of chest pain and loss of consciousness may also perpetuate false beliefs on typical (or even atypical) symptoms of AMI.