Background-Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a major cause of morbidity in women.Awareness of risk may be an important first step in stroke prevention. The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge and awareness about stroke in a nationally representative sample of women. Methods and Results-An American Heart Association-sponsored telephone survey using random-digit dialing was conducted in June and July of 2003. Respondents were 1024 women Ն25 years of age, including an oversampling of racial/ethnic minorities (68% white, 12% black, 12% Hispanic). Participants were given a standardized questionnaire about heart disease and stroke risk. Only 26% of women Ն65 years of age reported being well informed about stroke, even though this group carries the highest incidence of stroke. Overall, 20% of women stated that they worried a lot about stroke. Among women aged 25 to 34 years, 37% stated that they were not at all informed about stroke, which was significantly higher than for women between 45 and 64 years (13%, PϽ0.05) and those

Background-Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in men and women in the United States, yet prior research has shown a lack of awareness of risk among women. The purpose of this study was to assess the contemporary awareness, knowledge, and perceptions related to CVD risk among American women and to evaluate trends since 1997, when the American Heart Association initiated a national campaign to improve awareness of CVD among women. Methods and Results-A telephone survey of a nationally representative random sample of women was conducted in June and July 2003, with an oversampling of black and Hispanic women; results were compared with those of similar surveys in 2000 and 1997. The present survey included 1024 respondents age Ն25 years; 68% were white, 12% black, 12% Hispanic, and 8% other ethnicities. Awareness, knowledge, and perceptions about heart disease were evaluated by use of a standard interviewer-assisted questionnaire. A shift in awareness of heart disease as the leading killer of women has occurred since 1997. In 2003, 46% of respondents spontaneously identified heart disease as the leading cause of death in women, up from 30% in 1997 (PϽ0.05) and 34% in 2000 (PϽ0.05). In contrast, the percentage of women citing cancer as leading cause of death has significantly decreased. Black, Hispanic, and younger women (Ͻ45 years old) had lower awareness of heart disease as their leading cause of death than did white and older women. Nearly all women reported comfort in discussing prevention with healthcare providers, but only 38% of women reported that their doctors had ever discussed heart disease with them. Conclusions-Awareness of CVD has increased, although a significant gap between perceived and actual risk of CVD remains. Educational interventions to improve awareness and knowledge are needed, particularly for minority and younger women.