Study: Overweight Latinas Are Less Aware of Increased Heart Disease Risk

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Minority women, particularly Hispanic women, tend to be less aware of the increased risk of cardiovascular disease they face by being overweight or obese, according to a new study, Healio reports.

The study, published in Journal of Women’s Health, compared Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women based on their knowledge of heart disease risk factors and their perceptions of their own weight.

Among the key findings, as reported by Healio:

• Hispanics (27%) were less likely than non-Hispanic whites (88%) to correctly identify the leading cause of death among women.
• Hispanic women were less likely to know the symptoms of a myocardial infarction or stroke (59% vs. 81%).
• Hispanics (69%) were less likely than non-Hispanic whites (83%) to correctly estimate weight. Specifically, in overweight participants, underestimation of weight was higher among Hispanics.
• As expected, Hispanics had a greater frequency of diabetes and hypertension as well as a lower frequency of hypercholesterolemia, but they also were less likely to obtain nutritional information from a physician or nurse.

“Education about CVD, weight perception, and healthy weight are critical steps in addressing the relationship between obesity and the rise in CVD mortality attributed to it,” Dr. Elsa-Grace V. Giardina, of Columbia University Medical Center, and colleagues wrote.

“Focused attention to Hispanic women, including those who are overweight and obese and those who speak primarily Spanish, provides an opportunity to broaden the scope to improve CVD knowledge and to transform current behaviors.”