"Findings on Women Heart Health Press Conference" was held by the Hong Kong College of Cardiology on 5 May 2021.
Hong Kong College of Cardiology (HKCC) commissioned the Centre for the Advancement of Social Sciences Research (CASR) of Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct a telephone survey in November 2020. The telephone survey targeted the Cantonese-speaking women aged 18 to 70 to investigate their awareness and knowledge on heart health. 510 respondents were successfully interviewed during the survey period. The survey revealed that about half of the respondents (55.3%) thought that there were equal opportunities for men and women to suffer from severe cardiovascular diseases. Also, 96.3% of the respondents did not know if a woman is suffered from severe cardiovascular diseases, she will have a relatively higher risk to pass away compared to men. It was found that more than seventy percent of responded women did not recognised gender and pregnancy were the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases or stroke. Only 5.9% of them were aware that women during pregnancy were more likely to suffer from severe cardiovascular diseases than men.
From the survey results, 12.9% and 9.0% of the respondents had been diagnosed with high blood cholesterol and diabetes mellitus respectively. Though the majority (94.9%) agreed to change the lifestyle to prevent cardiovascular diseases and reduce the risk of heart diseases, only 39% of the respondents had balanced diet. HKCC pointed that the symptoms of heart disease in women are less pronounced than in men. Women should be aware of their health conditions. Also, HKCC urged the public to exercise regularly and maintain good eating habits, which will help prevent heart diseases.
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(Source of information and photo: Hong Kong College of Cardiology)
(May 5, 2021)