Abstract P142: Heart Healthy Behaviors in Young Women: What Prevents Teens From Going Red?

Abstract

Introduction: Ideal cardiovascular health behaviors are the foundation of primordial prevention as health behaviors initiated in adolescence track into adulthood. Adolescent and young adult (AYA) women may experience unique barriers to and facilitators of heart healthy behaviors. Using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, we examined how AYA women perceive cardiovascular health. Methods: We surveyed a random convenience sample of 331 AYA women ages 15-24 years presenting for care at an urban academic medical center and a community health center using the AHA National Women’s Health Study survey. Survey data guided development of the qualitative guide used during eight online, semi-structured focus groups with 32 young women. We report descriptive statistics performed using Matlab (Mathworks, Inc.) and thematic analyses conducted to synthesize data from the online focus groups using NVivo 11. Results: A total of 280 young women (84.6%) performed at least one preventive behavior in the past year. Actions taken included visiting a doctor [261 (78.9%)], exercising [247 (74.6%)], and reducing stress [174 (52.6%)]. AYA’s most commonly reported barriers to heart healthy actions were a failure to perceive oneself at risk for heart disease [130 (39.3%)] and stress [108 (32.6%)]. Focus group participants discussed several barriers including time constraints (“we just don’t have time to worry about our hearts”), lack of access to affordable gyms and healthy food (“improving health would be easier if healthy food weren’t expensive”), and mental health (“working on depression or anxiety so one doesn’t stop exercising or stop eating healthy because of life stresses”). Most [237 (71.6%)] participants identified a desire to improve their health as a reason for performing preventive behaviors, with 62.5% [n=207] wanting to live longer and 61.9% [n=205] wanting to feel better. Many AYA women surveyed were encouraged to take action by a family member [151 (45.6%)], a health care professional [113 (34.1%)], or a friend [106 (32.0%)]. Most participants [241 (72.8%)] felt that increased access to healthy food would help facilitate a heart healthy lifestyle. Focus group participants reported interpersonal connections (“having a strong support system to encourage you”), personal motivation (“I finally get fed up with myself and force myself to go back to the gym”), celebrities (“contact the Kardashians and tell them to promote”), and music as facilitators of preventive behaviors. Conclusions: Our results emphasize the competing concerns AYA women face - including time constraints, access to resources, and mental health issues - and how these factors impact their ability to perform preventive behaviors. Future campaigns should address stressors experienced by young women and capitalize on personal support systems, celebrities and music to encourage heart healthy behaviors.