Perception of risk for coronary heart disease in women undergoing coronary angiography

Background: Even though coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death among women in the United States, most women underestimate their risk of developing CHD. Design: Survey to examine the relationship between women's recollection of being told they were at risk for CHD and the presence of risk factors. Setting/participants: A convenience sample of 450 women undergoing coronary angiography at 1 university hospital. Main outcome measures: Self-recollection of being told one was at risk for CHD and presence of CHD risk factors. Results: Most women (83.6%) had 3 or more risk factors, 12.2% had 1 or 2 risk factors, and 0.9% had no risk factors. Only 35% of women recalled being told that they were at risk for CHD. Few relationships were found between being told one was at risk for CHD and the presence of individual risk factors. No difference was found in the mean number of risk factors among women who did and did not recall being told they were at risk. In logistic regression analysis, only 5% of the variance in recollection of being told one was at risk was predicted, with only age, education, and having a high cholesterol level significantly contributing to the equation. Conclusions: Even though women may not remember conversations with their health care provider about CHD risk, the possibility that risk factors were not adequately assessed cannot be discounted. Patient-provider conversations about CHD risk factors should be encouraged as the first step toward successful risk reduction.