Abstract
BackgroundRecently, cardiovascular disease (CVD) research has focused on sex- and gender-related cardiovascular risk factors, in addition to conventional risk factors. This raises the question which factors are perceived by the target group (patients with CVD) as priorities for further research.MethodsWe carried out a survey to study priority setting for more research into conventional and sex- and gender-related risk factors according to 980 men and women with CVD or those at increased risk of CVD in the Netherlands. Data on conventional and sex- and gender-related risk factors were descriptively analysed, stratified by gender group.ResultsThe most frequently prioritised conventional factors according to men were heritability, overweight and unhealthy diet, while women most frequently listed stress, heritability and hypertension. The most frequently prioritised sex- and gender-related risk factors were depression or depressive feelings, migraine and having many caretaking responsibilities (men), and pregnancy complications, contraceptive pill use and early age at menopause (women). New research on sex- and gender-related risk factors was perceived roughly as relevant as that on conventional factors by men (mean 7.4 and 8.3 on a 1–10 scale, respectively) and women (8.2 and 8.6, respectively). Ethnic and gender minority groups placed more emphasis on risk factors related to sociocultural aspects (gender) than the majority group.ConclusionMen and women with CVD or those at increased risk of CVD perceived new research on conventional and sex- and gender-related risk factors as a priority. These findings may guide researchers and funders in further prioritising new CVD research.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12471-020-01497-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Differences in the burden and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) between men and women have been widely reported across populations [1]
We distributed a shortened version of it to a convenience sample of 52 women with a non-Western migration background, who were recruited at local markets in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We studied this group of women because previous research has shown that they are a potentially overlooked high-risk group for CVD [23, 24]
Of the 16 conventional risk factors, heritability was the most frequently prioritised by men (35%), closely followed by overweight and a generally unhealthy diet (Fig. 1a)
Summary
Differences in the burden and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) between men and women have been widely reported across populations [1]. Differences in the occurrence and effects of conventional CVD risk factors may be partly responsible for the differential CVD risk [3]. Women with diabetes mellitus have a 40% higher risk of incident coronary heart disease than men with diabetes [4]. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) research has focused on sex- and gender-related cardiovascular risk factors, in addition to conventional risk factors. This raises the question which factors are perceived by the target group (patients with CVD) as priorities for further research
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