Date of Graduation

Summer 2008

Degree

Master of Science in Nursing

Department

Nursing

Committee Chair

Susan Sims-Giddens

Abstract

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is the number one killer of men and women in the United States. Although CHD has been thought of as a man's disease for many years, women make up 51% of deaths related to heart disease (CDC, 2007; Long, Waldrep, Hernandez, & Strickland 2005). In the history of women's health, more emphasis has been placed upon breast cancer awareness. However, deaths due to CHD are more prevalent than breast cancer deaths. Oliver-McNeil and Artinian (2002) reported that for women, 1in 28 deaths are attributed to breast cancer, whereas 1in 2 deaths are due to CHD. Due to a lack of women's awareness, there is a need for further research to be focused on women's knowledge related to prevalence and risk factors of heart disease. This correlational quantitative study of 118 women was designed to determine women's knowledge level of CHD prevalence and risk factors. The participants completed the Check Your Healthy Heart I.Q. survey. Data collected from the survey were analyzed by age and education demographics. However, neither age nor education significantly impacted the test results of this study. In this study, most women scored satisfactory, as the mean score overall was ten out of 14 statements answered correctly. The data collected will assist practitioners to develop local health promotion programs tailored to women's heart health education needs. Currently, Healthy People 2010 and the Go Red for Women campaign are two examples of national women's heart health promotion programs.

Keywords

coronary heart disease, women, knowledge, risk factors, research studies

Subject Categories

Nursing

Copyright

© Kimberly M. Childers

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