Helping young women go red: Harnessing the power of personal and digital information to prevent heart disease.

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for American women, yet young women are rarely the target population of CVD prevention campaigns. This study investigated young women's exposure to CVD information. We surveyed 331 females ages 15-24 years to determine 1) whether participants felt informed about heart disease or stroke, 2) their exposure to heart disease information sources over the past year, and 3) whether they had ever discussed CVD-related topics with healthcare providers. Over half of participants reported feeling not informed about heart disease (52%) or stroke (59%). Participants were more likely to report feeling informed if they were exposed to information from websites or social media, or if they had ever discussed family history of heart disease, personal risk for heart disease, or high blood pressure with their healthcare provider. Most young women did not feel informed about CVD. Exposure to specific information sources and discussions with healthcare providers may help improve this. Public health campaigns should promote cardiovascular health through websites and social media popular amongst young women. Healthcare providers should discuss CVD risk factor modification with young patients in order to promote cardiovascular health across the life course.