Myths about heart disease among urban women revealed

Dr.Vivek Mehan - Cardiologist, Mumbai.,

• Setting the Context
• Survey Methodology
• Demographic profile of the sample
• Proactively taking regular health check up 
• Frequency of getting an Cholesterol test done
• Awareness of Heart diseases
• Knowledge on either Heart attack or Coronary artery disease 
• Age wise split of awareness about Coronary artery disease
• Awareness on symptoms on heart disease
• Awareness of various treatments for heart disease
• Awareness of Interventional methods due to heart disease incidences in the family
• Awareness of key cause of Heart ailments
• Awareness on susceptibility to heart disease as compared to other disease
• General Awareness on Heart incidences at a global level , in year 2010
• Health Information Source
• Need for knowledge on proactive heart care
• Conclusions

Awareness of Interventional methods due to heart disease incidences in the family

Observation:

§ Approx 50% of the people who are aware about interventional methods have had heart disease incidences in their families.
Awareness of key cause of Heart ailments

Observation:

Approximately 43% of the women feel that the key cause of heart diseases is high stress in working environment

Awareness on susceptibility to heart disease as compared to other disease

Observation:

§ Women feel that they are least prone to heart disease as compared to other diseases like breast cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes.

General Awareness on Heart incidences at a global level , in year 2010

Observations:

India has been rated as the country, which will have highest number of patients with heart ailments by year 2010.

Though key reasons for this have been quoted as increasing stress levels, increase in pollution in the country, but not lack of knowledge on pro-active heart care.

A 

Observations:

• Newspapers are the key source for gaining health related information (72%). Times of India, regional dailies like Maharashtra times, Mid-day.
• 45% of people watch TV channels to get health related information. Channels like ZEE TV, Astha channels have been some of the specific mentions of TV channels.
• With reference to health magazines Readers Digest, certain women related magazines like Women’s era, good house keeping have been mentioned.
• Referring family doctors is one of the responses apart from the above-mentioned sources of health information.

Need for knowledge on proactive heart care

Observation:

• A large number of women have expressed their interest to know more about pro-active heart care.