Hispanic women are less aware of weight and heart disease risk

Minority women tend to be less aware of the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) they face by being overweight or obese. The results of a study that compared Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women based on their knowledge of heart disease risk factors and their perceptions of their own weight is published in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Women's Health website.

Elsa-Grace Giardina, MD and coauthors, Columbia University Medical Center (New York, NY), report that although awareness of CVD and recognition that heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the U.S has increased, knowledge of these risk factors still remains low among minority women, making prevention efforts more difficult. The authors compared how women estimate their weight and view their risk of heart disease and present their findings in the article "Cardiovascular Disease Knowledge and Weight Perception Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Women."

"Based on these findings, prevention strategies need to target CVD knowledge and awareness among overweight and obese Hispanic women," says Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Women's Health, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women's Health, Richmond, VA, and President of the Academy of Women's Health.