CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTOR AWARENESS AND PREVALENCE AMONG CANADIAN MEN AND WOMEN - DOES GENDER PLAY A ROLE? A POPULATION BASED SURVEY ANALYSIS

Abstract

BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) is among the leading causes of death for Canadian men and women, responsible for 26% of deaths in both groups in 2011. Educational campaigns and interventions have attempted to increase knowledge and awareness for primary and secondary prevention of CVD, yet little is known whether gender differences affect CVD risk factor (CRF) awareness and prevalence.MethodsWe administered a survey questionnaire to 4682 individuals at an urgent care clinic serving a large population in Mississauga, Ontario. 3189 participants responded (response rate 68%). Demographic and gender data of respondents were available for 3107 participants - 1734 female and 1373 male. CRF awareness and prevalence was ascertained for hypertension, diabetes, smoking, hyperlipidemia, obesity, stress and physical inactivity. “Poor CRF awareness” was defined as correct identification of <3 CRF and “high CRF prevalence” was defined as presence of ≥3 CRF. Analyses were adjusted for age, ethnicity, income and education.ResultsThe mean age of the study population was a 37±14 years with 44% males and 56% females. Table 1 shows adjusted awareness and prevalence of CRF among women with men as the reference group. Women had higher levels of awareness for hypertension, stress and obesity, with lower prevalence of hyperlipidemia and smoking and higher prevalence of stress and physical inactivity. Logistic regression analysis revealed women were less likely to have “poor CRF awareness” OR 0.71 (95%CI, 0.56-0.90) while analysis for “high CRF prevalence” did not reveal any difference in the two groups (Graph 1).ConclusionView Large Image Figure ViewerDownload (PPT) BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) is among the leading causes of death for Canadian men and women, responsible for 26% of deaths in both groups in 2011. Educational campaigns and interventions have attempted to increase knowledge and awareness for primary and secondary prevention of CVD, yet little is known whether gender differences affect CVD risk factor (CRF) awareness and prevalence. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is among the leading causes of death for Canadian men and women, responsible for 26% of deaths in both groups in 2011. Educational campaigns and interventions have attempted to increase knowledge and awareness for primary and secondary prevention of CVD, yet little is known whether gender differences affect CVD risk factor (CRF) awareness and prevalence. MethodsWe administered a survey questionnaire to 4682 individuals at an urgent care clinic serving a large population in Mississauga, Ontario. 3189 participants responded (response rate 68%). Demographic and gender data of respondents were available for 3107 participants - 1734 female and 1373 male. CRF awareness and prevalence was ascertained for hypertension, diabetes, smoking, hyperlipidemia, obesity, stress and physical inactivity. “Poor CRF awareness” was defined as correct identification of <3 CRF and “high CRF prevalence” was defined as presence of ≥3 CRF. Analyses were adjusted for age, ethnicity, income and education. We administered a survey questionnaire to 4682 individuals at an urgent care clinic serving a large population in Mississauga, Ontario. 3189 participants responded (response rate 68%). Demographic and gender data of respondents were available for 3107 participants - 1734 female and 1373 male. CRF awareness and prevalence was ascertained for hypertension, diabetes, smoking, hyperlipidemia, obesity, stress and physical inactivity. “Poor CRF awareness” was defined as correct identification of <3 CRF and “high CRF prevalence” was defined as presence of ≥3 CRF. Analyses were adjusted for age, ethnicity, income and education. ResultsThe mean age of the study population was a 37±14 years with 44% males and 56% females. Table 1 shows adjusted awareness and prevalence of CRF among women with men as the reference group. Women had higher levels of awareness for hypertension, stress and obesity, with lower prevalence of hyperlipidemia and smoking and higher prevalence of stress and physical inactivity. Logistic regression analysis revealed women were less likely to have “poor CRF awareness” OR 0.71 (95%CI, 0.56-0.90) while analysis for “high CRF prevalence” did not reveal any difference in the two groups (Graph 1). The mean age of the study population was a 37±14 years with 44% males and 56% females. Table 1 shows adjusted awareness and prevalence of CRF among women with men as the reference group. Women had higher levels of awareness for hypertension, stress and obesity, with lower prevalence of hyperlipidemia and smoking and higher prevalence of stress and physical inactivity. Logistic regression analysis revealed women were less likely to have “poor CRF awareness” OR 0.71 (95%CI, 0.56-0.90) while analysis for “high CRF prevalence” did not reveal any difference in the two groups (Graph 1). Conclusion